7 People Shot at Louisville Protest Over the Death of Breonna Taylor

Seven people were struck by gunfire at a protest in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday night as tensions there continued to escalate over the fatal shooting of a black woman by three white police officers in March.

Of those reported injured, one was in critical condition, the Louisville Metro Police Department said in a message.

No officers discharged their weapons or were among those injured at the demonstration, the department said, adding that it was too early to determine who might be responsible.

Videos posted on social media showed a shooting taking place while demonstrators surrounded a police vehicle. Protesters had gathered in the streets to call for justice in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Jessie Halladay, a spokeswoman for the police department said there were hundreds of demonstrators at the protests, which began peacefully but escalated to involve assaults on officers and property damage. She asked the public to help bring a peaceful resolution to the protest.

In a message posted on Facebook, Ms. Taylor’s sister, Juniyah Palmer, thanked demonstrators for demanding justice but asked them to keep things peaceful.

“Do not succumb to the levels that we see out of the police,” she wrote. “Speak. Protest. But do not resort to violence.”

Louisville police officers fatally shot Ms. Taylor, 26, at her home during a narcotics investigation in March. Police have said officers knocked on the door, announced their presence, then forced their way into the home before being met by gunfire.

Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, told investigators he did not hear police announce themselves and was terrified when the door was knocked down.In a 911 call just after the shooting, Mr. Taylor told the dispatcher that “somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend.”

In a lawsuit on behalf of Ms. Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, lawyers said police already had in custody the main suspect in the narcotics investigation before going into the home.

Mayor Greg Fischer has said that in response to the shooting, “no knock” search warrants would require approval from the police chief or someone he designates before being sent to a judge for approval.