On Saturday 27 June, a man opened fire in during protests in Jefferson Square Park in Louisville killing one man. The victim was now identified as Tyler Gerth, who was a 27-year-old photographer covering the protests.
Jefferson Square has been one of the places where protests against police brutality have taken place over recent days. According to PetaPixel, people have been protesting particularly about the killing of Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by the police at her own home.
Tyler Gerth was a resident of Louisville and a photographer who captured the beauty of both his city and the places where he traveled. However, he began covering the protests more and more. In one of his Instagram posts, he wrote:
“What is happening around country is horrible and white people need stand up and show our support for black people who aren’t treated equally by the law. If things are to change we need be loud and stand together. We are all equal in the eyes of God”
On the day of the incident, Tyler was taking photos of Jefferson Square Park protests. WHAS11 reports that suspect Steven Nelson Lopez was asked to leave his camping spot in the park. He then opened fire on the protesters and shot Tyler, who was dead on the spot. According to the same source, there were a few more armed protesters who reportedly fired back at Lopez in self-defense.
After Tyler’s tragic death, his family took over his Instagram and issued the following statement:
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out. Tyler was brave, creative, gentle, tenacious, and so so kind. He played the ukulele, had a thriving garden, loved to play with his nieces and nephews, constantly wore some sort of silly socks (tie dye was his favorite) and is already missed terribly by his beloved dog Jordan. We are determined to continue Tyler’s legacy of fighting social and racial injustice. Please click the link in bio for the link to the memorial fund we are creating in his honor where you can hear straight from Tyler.”
Tyler’s sisters have set up a GoFundMe campaign with a desire to continue his legacy “by supporting charitable organizations that fight social and racial injustices.”
“Tyler’s passion and drive to be a part of the movement has inspired us all and we will continue to fight and advocate for the peace and justice he gave his life in service of. We are in the process of setting up a 501c3 that will focus on distribution of funds to support social justice concerns close to Tyler’s heart including education, support services and fighting inequality.”
[via PetaPixel]
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