Utah Protests Erupt After Police Officers Cleared of Murder (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency Thursday evening after “civil unrest” broke out in Salt Lake City in reaction to two police officers being cleared of murder in the May shooting death of an armed suspect.
Four people were arrested after a demonstration in downtown Salt Lake City devolved to violence and property damage.
The protesters were angry over Salt Lake County District Attorney’s decision to not charge officers in the deadly shooting of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal.
People began to gather outside the DA’s office at 6 p.m. Thursday. A group of around 60 people quickly grew to between 200 and 300.
Peaceful protests had been held in Salt Lake City for weeks in anticipation of a decision in the case, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Vandalism had occurred outside the Statehouse during a previous protest following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
According to FOX 13, Thursday’s unrest began with chalk and paint messages outside Gill’s office around 6:40 p.m. local time, evolving into a “declaration of unlawful assembly” around 8 p.m. as Salt Lake City police in riot gear struggled to break up the crowd.
Later, protesters sprayed some police officers with pepper spray, with Hebert’s emergency declaration following about an hour later.
Soon after, the crowd had dispersed and police declared the DA’s office a crime scene.
