A TV crew for MSNBC affiliate WAVE 3 was sprayed with pepper balls by a cop, while capturing the protests in Louisville, Kentucky last Friday. The cop has now been reassigned.
Louisville Metro Police Assistant Chief Lavita Chavous has now updated that the unidentified officer was placed on reassignment pending an investigation after Mayor Greg Fischer apologized and announced that police would “determine what was going on at the time and if further action is needed”.
She states, “Officers do have orders not to fire pepper balls at media but I’m sure you hopefully understand that sometimes when the media are involved inside the crowd or inside the area where there are protesters. And those protesters are doing something unlawful or something they are not supposed to do, it’s sometimes an unintended consequence when we fire the pepper balls into the crowd.”
Furthermore, the footage showed reporter Kaitlin Rust, alongside cameraman James Dobson being hit with pepper-spray projectiles during a live broadcast. Rust ducks and yells in pain after initially believing she was being hit with rubber bullets. She shrieks, “I’m getting shot.”
