Columbus to Phoenix: Minneapolis protests spread to other U.S. cities

Developments across the United States in connection with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody:

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Protesters angry over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody turned out for a demonstration in Columbus that began peacefully but turned violent early Friday, with windows smashed at the Ohio Statehouse and on storefronts along surrounding downtown streets.

The growing strife in his home state and nationally over Floyd's death led Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to issue a call to unity against racism and police violence and to urge protesters to remain peaceful.

"His death impacts all of us," he said. "We have a responsibility to each other. We have a responsibility, all of us regardless of race, to stand up and say we won't tolerate conduct like this."

A coalition of big-city police chiefs from across the U.S. and Canada lamented that Floyd's death has undermined its tireless efforts to build trust between police forces and the communities they serve.

"Law enforcement must do better and hold ourselves to a higher standard," the Major Cities Chiefs Association said in a written statement.

The Columbus crowd of around 400 people entered into a standoff with Columbus police Thursday night, blocking the intersection of key streets in the Ohio capital for hours, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

The demonstration began as a peaceful protest, but news outlets reported protesters began throwing objects like water bottles at officers, who responded by using tear gas on the crowd. A scuffle between a protester and an officer broke out about 9:45 p.m., WCMH-TV reported.

Videos obtained by The Associated Press show people smashing the building's windows. One person briefly entered an office through a broken window but retreated before troopers within the building could catch him, said Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Craig Cvetan.

Protesters smashed 28 Statehouse windows, damaged doors, light poles and flags and dumped several garbage cans, according to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

Broken Statehouse windows were boarded up early Friday and workers were placing plywood over undamaged first floor windows out of precaution.

DeWine said he did not agree with the portion of a President Donald Trump tweet indicating "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" -- commending the Columbus Police Department for handling Thursday's protest with minimal injuries.

"I think it's very important that leaders such as myself be a source of peace, stability and work to heal the divisions that we have in this country," he said.

Protesters smashed windows at Winan's Chocolates + Coffees + Wine a couple blocks south of the Statehouse. Franchise owners Monica and Miles Thomas estimated half the store's chocolates were taken and three-quarters of its wine smashed or stolen.

Monica Thomas called the damage frustrating and disconnected with the reason people were protesting.

"Stealing wine has nothing to do with what's going on," she said.

Friday morning, Mayor Andrew Ginther said looting and property destruction won't be tolerated and that protests should remain peaceful. But people have to acknowledge that racism exists and address it, he said.

"I'm as frustrated as folks in the streets are," Ginther said. "We are sick and tired of the racism that we've seen play out across the country."

Earlier Thursday, video showed the crowd marching down Broad Street and blocking High Street, two downtown arteries near the statehouse. As they marched, protesters engaged in a call-and-response chant: "Say his name," followed by "George Floyd."

Demonstrators also chanted, "Black lives matter" and "I can't breathe."

Addressing Ohio's black citizens directly, DeWine said he wanted to assure them they are valued members of the community and that he hears and acknowledges their pain, anger and grief.

"I receive those words and emotions with empathy and a commitment to seek solutions and justice, to seek justice when it is denied," he said.

Protesters broke windows for several blocks along South High Street and East Broad Street--the main arteries through downtown--including at the county courthouse and municipal court building. A DGX store, a subsidiary of Dollar General, was broken into, along with windows at offices, other restaurants and a gym. Protesters smashed a storefront at the Einstein Bros. Bagels shop across the street from the statehouse.

WBNS-TV reported that protesters said dramatic action was necessary to gain authorities' attention. Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin told the station that protesters' anger at Floyd's death is being heard.

"The people that hate bad cops more than anybody else are good cops," the sheriff said.

Floyd, a black man, was handcuffed and pleading for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck Monday. His death has touched off protests across the country this week, including in Minneapolis itself, where protesters torched a police precinct Thursday night.

DeWine called Floyd's death "horrific" and said the image of it would be "seared on every American's mind until the day they die."

Associated Press Writer Mallika Sen in New York City contributed to this report

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PHOENIX -- Hundreds rallied in downtown Phoenix to demonstrate against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in a protest that turned into a clash with police.

Protesters who marched from Phoenix City Hall to the state capitol on Thursday night into Friday morning carried signs reading, "Silence is violence" and "Being black should not be a death sentence," The Arizona Republic reported.

Around 11 p.m., Phoenix police declared an unlawful assembly around the Capitol building. Protesters refused to leave the area, news outlets reported.

The newspaper reported that rocks and water bottles were thrown at police. Video from local TV stations shows protesters hammering on the window of a police car, and the newspaper reported at least one police car window was broken. The Arizona Department of Public Safety and Phoenix police responded by firing pepper spray and rubber bullets at the crowd.

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PETAL, Mississippi -- A Mississippi mayor who sparked outrage when he said he "didn't see anything unreasonable" about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody is resisting calls to resign, including from his own town's board of aldermen.

"Why in the world would anyone choose to become a police officer in our society today?" Petal Mayor Hal Marx tweeted Tuesday, the day four Minneapolis police officers were fired. The 46-year-old Floyd, a black man, was handcuffed and pleading for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck Monday.

In a follow-up tweet, the Republican directly referenced the Floyd case, saying he "didn't see anything unreasonable": "If you can say you can't breathe, you're breathing. Most likely that man died of overdose or heart attack. Video doesn't show his resistance that got him in that position. Police being crucified."

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Looking to defuse tensions in Louisville over the fatal shooting of a black woman by police who broke down her door, the victim's mother on Friday called on protesters to continue demanding justice but to do it in "the right way without hurting each other."

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear read the statement from Breonna Taylor's mother hours after gunshots erupted, wounding at least seven people, during protests late Thursday outside City Hall. At least one person was in critical condition, Louisville Metro Police said early Friday.

"No officers discharged their service weapons," and all seven shot were civilians, police spokesman Sgt. Lamont Washington wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

In her statement, Tamika Palmer said her daughter -- an emergency medical technician -- devoted her life to others, and the "last thing she'd want right now is any more violence."

Thursday night's demonstration came as protesters across the country, in cities including Los Angeles, Denver, New York and Memphis, turned out in alliance with demonstrators in Minneapolis, where George Floyd became the latest black man to die in police custody.

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DENVER -- Protesters swarmed Denver on Thursday, blocking traffic and smashing vehicles while running from gunfire and police tear gas after a demonstration against the death of a black man in Minneapolis police custody turned violent.

Hundreds of demonstrators stood in the downtown streets and chanted as darkness fell outside the Colorado state capitol, where protesters spray-painted graffiti and broke car windows. In other areas of downtown Denver, police in riot gear fired gas canisters, used rubber bullets and walked in a phalanx through the streets to drive protesters away. The protest briefly spilled over onto Interstate 25, blocking all lanes of traffic until police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The protests continued into the night, despite Denver Mayor Michael Hancock pleading for calm.

"I certainly understand everyone's frustration and sense of pain and disgust following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis," he said in a video posted on Twitter. "But I want to plead to everyone. Let's demonstrate, but let's demonstrate peacefully. Leave the weapons home."

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NEW YORK -- Protesters angry about the death of a black Minnesota man in police custody defied New York's prohibition on public gatherings Thursday and staged a chaotic rally in Manhattan, where they faced off with officers enforcing social distancing rules.

Scores of demonstrators, some wearing masks and some not, massed in Union Square and marched through the streets chanting "I can't breathe" and waving signs with slogans including "Police brutality and murder must stop."

Police officers, also wearing masks to protect against the virus, lined up opposite the demonstration. Video posted on social media showed occasional skirmishes as officers pushed the crowd back.

The New York Police Department said more than 30 people had been taken into custody. Video showed at least one demonstrator being clubbed and others being wrestled to the ground as some protesters shoved officers and screamed insults. The police department said one officer was struck with a garbage can and another punched.