Indianapolis `relatively quiet’ during curfew after violence

<p>As night falls, protestors rally in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 2020. Protests were held in U.S. cities over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. <strong>(Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)</strong></p>

As night falls, protestors rally in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 2020. Protests were held in U.S. cities over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An overnight curfew imposed by Indianapolis’ mayor after two nights of violent protest over the death of George Floyd and police treatment of African Americans was followed by a night of relative calm after a weekend that left the city with widespread damage downtown, a police spokesman said Monday.

A tally of arrests during the curfew that ran from 8 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday was not immediately available. Police planned to release that information later Monday, said Officer William Young of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

He said the city “was relatively quiet” during the overnight curfew, in comparison to violent weekend protests during which demonstrators broke dozens of windows on downtown businesses and set fires.

Several hundred people took part in a peaceful protest Sunday afternoon that started at the Indiana Statehouse. The group marched several blocks to outside the City-County Building, where those taking part laid on the ground while the names were read off of African Americans who have died in confrontations with police.

The overnight curfew imposed by Mayor Joe Hogsett came after peaceful protests gave way later to unrest and destruction. The death of Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in Minneapolis after a white officer used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck down for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving, has sparked protests nationwide.

Hogsett announced Monday that he was extending the city’s curfew order for an additional night. His new order will begin at 8 p.m. Monday and will end at 4 a.m. Tuesday — two hours earlier than the mayor’s first order — because Tuesday is Indiana’s primary election, with voting starting at 6 a.m. Hogsett’s order also includes an exception allowing people to travel during the curfew period for “election-related activities.”

The mayor said in a statement that he was “proud of our residents, the vast majority of whom abided by Sunday night’s curfew order.”

“My thanks go out to the men and women who helped keep Indianapolis peaceful overnight,” Hogsett said.

Two people died amid several shootings late Saturday and early Sunday, though it wasn’t clear their deaths were related to the protests. Police said no officers had fired their guns.

One of those fatally shot was Chris Beaty, who was a defensive lineman on Indiana University’s football team from 2000 to 2004 and has recently managed Indianapolis nightclubs, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Beaty, 38, suffered multiple gunshot wounds in a shooting Saturday night a few blocks from downtown Indianapolis’ Monument Circle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Young said the circumstances of Beaty’s fatal shooting remained under investigation.

“It’s still early on in the investigation and I don’t believe we have any suspects at this point. We have very limited information,” he said Monday morning.

Beaty recently launched Worldwide Masks — a company that sells one-piece face coverings to prevent the spread of germs, with fellow entrepreneur Joe Babish, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Indiana University football coach Tom Allen said in statement Monday that he was stunned by Beaty’s death and heartbroken for his family.

“I am at a loss for words. The news of the passing of Chris Beaty is just devastating. Since I returned home to coach at Indiana, Chris embraced me, encouraged me and supported me!” Allen said. “His passion for life and Indiana Football energized me every time we were together.”

Large protests happened elsewhere in Indiana on Saturday, with police in Hammond using tear gas to break up protesters and officers blocking marchers from going onto Interstate 80/94. Fort Wayne police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a crowd after Friday night’s demonstration resulted in some protesters throwing rocks at officers and breaking dozens of windows on downtown businesses.

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