Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett on Sunday imposed a curfew following two days of violent protests over the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who died in police custody after a white officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes earlier in the week.
Hogsett said the curfew from 8 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday came after peaceful protests gave way later to unrest and destruction.
The violent protests, coinciding with others nationwide that saw similar levels of unrest, sparked widespread damage downtown and included several shootings. Two people died in shootings, though it wasn't clear their deaths were related to the protests.
Mourners have placed flowers at a makeshift memorial for George Floyd in Minneapolis. (AP)
"It is clear after last night that we can no longer provide the protection of those protesters or our downtown residents and business owners when an unfortunate few are so determined to hijack this movement for their own selfish reasons," Hogsett said.
The two people killed in downtown Indianapolis were shot amid several shootings reported late Saturday and early Sunday. Police said no officers fired their guns.
Deputy Police Chief Josh Barker said one person was arrested in one of the deaths, but connections between the gunfire and the protests remained uncertain and under investigation.
More than a dozen cities across the U.S. have implemented nighttime curfews in an effort to curb the unrest that has broken out following the death of Floyd. Law enforcement arrested over 1,000 people in all after peaceful demonstrations turned violent. Some 5,000 National Guard members have been deployed in at least 15 states to assist local law-enforcement agencies.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall, Dom Calicchio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
