LIVE UPDATES: Protests over death of George Floyd continue in Central Florida, around world

ORLANDO, Fla. – Here’s the latest on protests taking place in Central Florida, across the U.S. and around the world following the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed earlier this week after a now-fired Minneapolis police officer was seen on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck until he drew his last breath.

Continue reading below for a timeline of the demonstrations in Orlando, across Central Florida, the United States and the world.

KISSIMMEE- Police join protesters in March for Justice in Kissimmee

The Kissimmee Police Department marched alongside hundreds of community members in a demonstration that started at the Civic Center and ended at the Kissimmee Police Department.

Kissimmee Police Chief Jeffrey O’Dell said when they found out the community was putting together a march, he reached out and said he wanted to stand side-by-side with the community.

“We stand with our community, we are not going to tolerate police brutality or any type of racism in our agency,” Chief O’Dell said.

O’Dell said in standing next to people and walking with them, he is able to listen. Adding, “I get to hear what hurts in their heart.”

Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson, and his deputies also took part in March.

ORANGE COUNTY- Rep. Val Demings responds to President Trump’s latest move

Rep. Val Demings said the American people are not the enemy after President Trump urged the nation’s governors to get tougher with violent protesters and to deploy the National Guard.

“The U.S. military fights America’s enemies. The American people are not the enemy. Anyone who believes differently is not fit to lead us,” she said.

Rep. Val Demings said she took her job to heart when she was a law enforcement officer for 27 years.

“In America, we should never ask our military to police our streets,” she said.

WASHINGTON — President visits 200-year-old church

President Donald Trump is visiting the 200-year-old church near the White House that was set on fire as demonstrators clashed with police over the weekend.

Beginning with James Madison, every person who has held the office of president has attended a service at St. John’s Church.

Law enforcement cleared protesters out of the area with tear gas before Trump’s visit. Tear gas canisters could be heard exploding as Trump spoke in the Rose Garden. He then walked over to the church.

The protesters appeared to be acting peacefully before they were dispersed by force.

Trump is urging the nation’s governors to get tougher with violent protesters and to deploy the National Guard.

He said in the Rose Garden that he is ally of peaceful protesters, but he stressed that “I am your president of law and order.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville’s police chief fired

Louisville’s police chief was fired Monday after the mayor learned that officers involved in a shooting that killed the popular owner of a barbecue spot failed to activate body cameras during the chaotic scene.

David McAtee, known for offering meals to police officers, died early Monday while police officers and National Guard soldiers were enforcing a curfew amid waves of protests over a previous police shooting in Kentucky’s largest city.

Police said they were responding to gunfire from a crowd that had gathered there.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer revealed that authorities lacked body camera video for the investigation just hours after Kentucky’s governor demanded the release of police video.

“This type of institutional failure will not be tolerated,” Fischer said. “Accordingly, I have relieved Steve Conrad of his duties as chief of Louisville Metro Police Department.”

Conrad had previously announced his resignation, which was to take effect at the end of June. Deputy police chief Robert Schroeder will step in as acting chief immediately, Fischer said.

Police did retrieve video from crime center cameras that show how the shooting unfolded, Schroeder said.

PHILADELPHIA — Protesters spill onto interstate

Police fired non-lethal bullets and tear gas at hundreds of protesters who spilled onto an interstate highway in the heart of Philadelphia on Monday just before a 6 p.m. curfew took effect.

The crowds on Interstate 676 also led to the closure of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the main link from downtown Philadelphia to New Jersey suburbs across the Delaware River.

Some climbed a steep embankment and scaled a fence as police acted.

More than two dozen were arrested as a few hundred other protesters moved to block the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a grand thoroughfare leading from downtown the city’s imposing art museum.

CLEVELAND — Tamir Rice’s mother reacts

Tamir Rice’s mother said she felt “distraught” seeing her son’s name spray-painted on buildings by people protesting George Floyd’s death in Cleveland.

Tamir Rice was 12 when he was fatally shot by a white police officer while playing with a pellet gun in 2014.

“Tamir isn’t getting any justice,” Samaria Rice said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “Vandalism and setting fires are not the way to go.”

WASHINGTON — Police fire tear gas to disperse D.C. protest

Police set off tear gas bombs trying to disperse protesters before President Donald Trump was to address the nation.

There was a strong police presence and officers moved to get the protesters away from Lafayette Park, across from the White House.

About 1,000 demonstrators had gathered to protest the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis breaks silence

During a violent and chaotic weekend marked by demonstrations against police brutality, Floridians did not hear from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis was quiet as thousands of protesters flooded city streets in various parts of the state, seething over the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man killed in police custody under a white officer’s knee.

It wasn’t until Monday afternoon that DeSantis’ office issued a statement, which only made mention of law enforcement efforts.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Orange County leaders on police-community relationships

Following the killing of George Floyd, Orange County’s former and current sheriff spoke about ongoing efforts to build law enforcement and community relations after several days of protests and demonstrations across the region.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, the former Orange County sheriff, said the county has been planning a candid conversation in a town hall-style format as part of its MLK initiative. He hopes to release details on the forum later this week.

For more on their efforts, click here.

MINNEAPOLIS — Illinois man faces federal charges in rioting

An Illinois man who allegedly participated in rioting in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd has been arrested and charged with federal counts.

Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, of Galesville, Illinois, was arrested Monday in Chicago and charged by criminal complaint with three counts, including civil disorder, carrying on a riot and possession of unregistered destructive devices.

According to an FBI affidavit, Rupert posted a self-recorded video on his Facebook page last week that shows him in Minneapolis, handing out explosive devices to others and encouraging them to throw the explosives at law enforcement. The video also shows him damaging property, attempting to light a business on fire and looting.

The affidavit says that on Saturday, Rupert posted on his Facebook page that he was headed to Chicago, and that he would loot there.

Early Sunday morning, he posted more videos of himself in and around Chicago, and saying “let’s start a riot.”

He was arrested by Chicago police for violating an emergency curfew in the city. Officers found several destructive devices, a hammer, a heavy-duty flashlight and cash in his vehicle, according to authorities.

Rupert was appearing in federal court in Chicago on Monday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney to comment on his behalf.

Floyd, a black man, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed and saying that he couldn’t breathe. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country, some of which became violent.

SEATTLE — Curfew continues

Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that Seattle would again have a curfew Monday evening following days of George Floyd protests that turned violent, with storefronts smashed and items stolen.

At a news conference, Durkan said the curfew would begin at 6 p.m. and last until 5 a.m. There were curfews in Seattle on Saturday and Sunday nights as well.

Durkan said most of the thousands of protesters were peaceful, but there was an element that engaged in “violence, looting and chaos.” Gov. Jay Inslee has sent 400 National Guard troops to help Seattle contain demonstrations.

NEW YORK — New York City imposing 11 p.m. curfew

New York City is imposing an 11 p.m. curfew as the nation’s biggest city tries to head off another night of violence erupting amid protests over George Floyd’s death.

Its curfew will last from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

The limitation on 8.6 million people’s movements comes on top of coronavirus restrictions and as the mayor and governor deplored the outbreaks of violence, but also criticized some police actions.

MINNEAPOLIS — Family-ordered autopsy: Floyd died of asphyxiation

An autopsy commissioned for George Floyd’s family found that Floyd died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes and ignored his cries of distress, the Floyd family’s attorneys said Monday.

The autopsy by a doctor who also examined Eric Garner’s body found the compression cut off blood to Floyd’s brain, and weight on his back made it hard to breathe.

The family’s autopsy differs from the official autopsy as described in a criminal complaint against the officer.

That autopsy included the effects of being restrained, along with underlying health issues and potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system, but also said it found nothing “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”

Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs at the time, died after the white officer ignored bystander shouts to get off him and Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe.

Read more on the autopsy here.

ORLANDO -- Orlando groups seeks more transparency, changes to hiring procedures and training for law enforcement

Dozens of young adults from several Orlando organizations gathered together on the steps of City Hall Monday to deliver a plan of action to the city council in response to the death of George Floyd.

The Orlando Youth In Action Movement developed a 10-point action agenda detailing changes they want to see, including the process of hiring officers and training, changes to the Orlando police citizen review board and revisions to the state’s hate crime law.

About 30 group members peacefully gathered at City Hall where they handed their signed agenda to a security guard to give to the city council. Due to the coronavirus, the council meetings are happening virtually otherwise the plan would have been given in person.

Read more about the group’s action plan here.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The brother of George Floyd appealed for peace Monday in the aftermath of riots and arson fires following the death of his brother in Minneapolis.

Terrence Floyd appeared at the intersection in south Minneapolis where his brother, a black man, died after a white police officer pinned his neck with his knee for several minutes a week ago.

Wearing a face mask with the image of his brother’s face on it, Terrence Floyd spent several minutes of silence at the flowers and other memorials that have sprung up to his brother.

“I understand you’re upset,” Terrence Floyd said to the crowd through a bullhorn. But he said civil unrest and destruction is “not going to bring my brother back at all. It may feel good for the moment, like when you drink, but when you are done, you’re going to wonder what did you do.”

Terrence Floyd said his family is “a peaceful family. My family is God-fearing.” And he said, “in every case of police brutality the same thing has been happening. You have protests, you destroy stuff ... so they want us to destroy ourselves. Let’s do this another way.”

He told the crowd to vote and to educate themselves. “Let’s switch it up, y’all.” He said his brother moved to Minneapolis from Houston and “loved it here. ... So I know he would not want you all to be doing this.”

At the end of his remarks, Terrence Floyd led the crowd in a chant of “What’s his name?” answered by “George Floyd.”

NEW YORK -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he is concerned that mass protests over George Floyd’s death in New York City could imperil the long, hard fight to contain the coronavirus pandemic in a worldwide hotspot.

The Democratic governor said he agreed with demonstrators fighting racism and societal inequality. But he sounded frustrated about possibly compromising more than two months of social and economic sacrifices.

New York City is set to begin phasing in economic activity June 8. Statewide hospitalization rates have been ticking down for weeks and the daily death toll has gone from almost 800 in early April to 54 on Sunday.

ATLANTA -- Atlanta’s mayor says two police officers have been fired and three others placed on desk duty over excessive use of force during a weekend protest incident.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Sunday that she and the police chief made the decision after reviewing body-camera footage of a Saturday incident that first gained attention from video online and on local news.

It shows police officers in riot gear and gas masks surrounding two college students in a car. The officers use stun guns on both the woman and the man.

WASHINGTON -- After six straight days of unrest, America heads into a new work week with neighborhoods in shambles, urban streets on lockdown and political leaders struggling to control the coast-to-coast outpouring of rage over police killings of black people.

Despite curfews in big cities across the U.S. and the deployment of thousands of National Guard soldiers over the past week, demonstrations descended into violence again on Sunday.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The head of the Minneapolis police union is speaking out about what he says is a lack of city leadership during a week of protests that turned violent after the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white officer pressed a knee against his neck.

Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter and is in custody in a state prison. He and the three other officers on the scene were fired. Floyd’s May 25 death sparked days of protests in Minneapolis and other cities, some of which turned violent.

Union president Lt. Bob Kroll said in a letter to union members that they have lacked support at the top, and that the “terrorist movement” occurring in Minneapolis was years in the making, starting with a minimized police force.

Messages seeking comment from the police department and mayor were not immediately returned.

Kroll also said that Floyd’s criminal history is not being told. The AP has reported last week that Floyd was charged in 2007 with armed robbery in a home invasion in Houston and was sentenced to five years in prison as part of a plea deal, according to court documents.

Kroll said all four officers are represented by defense attorneys, and labor attorneys are fighting for their jobs. He said the officers were fired without due process.

LOS ANGELES -- Curfews expired early Monday as California cities assessed widespread damage following a weekend of violence, vandalism and arson amid passionate protests against the death of George Floyd.

National Guard soldiers deployed in Los Angeles and other cities to back up police forces who faced an uncertain day after Sunday’s turmoil quieted down overnight.

Thieves smashed their way in more than 20 cities into stores -- carrying away armloads of sneakers, clothes and electronics.

Armed members of the Guard protected Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday after upheaval in the nation’s second-largest city and then rolled into suburban Santa Monica and Long Beach as throngs savaged businesses there.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti denounced the mayhem as having nothing to do with protests by those outraged by the death of Floyd, a handcuffed black man seen in a video pleading for air as a white Minneapolis officer pressed a knee on his neck.

“Criminals are wrong to think that they can hijack this message, undermine this movement and divide us -- they will not,” Garcetti said.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is deriding the nation’s governors as “weak” and demanding tougher crackdowns on protesters in the aftermath of more violent protests in dozens of American cities.

Trump spoke Monday to governors on a video teleconference with law enforcement and national security officials, telling the local leaders they “have to get much tougher” amid nationwide protests and criticizing their responses.

The days of protests were triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after he was pinned at the neck by a white Minneapolis police officer. They turned violent in several cities, with looting and mayhem, and fires ignited in the park across from the White House.

WASHINGTON -- Joe Biden will hold a roundtable with several mayors whose cities have been affected by unrest over the weekend.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will hold a virtual event Monday with the leaders of Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Biden began his day meeting with community leaders at a predominantly African American church in Delaware.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser is imposing a 7 p.m. curfew Monday and Tuesday after three days of violent protests.

An 11 p.m. curfew had been in place Sunday night. But the violence still escalated, with protesters setting fires, breaking windows and looting businesses. There were clashes with police, who used pepper spray and other measures to try to break up the demonstrations.

About 60 people were arrested in Oakland, including three detained Monday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on officers. The three allegedly shot at the department’s headquarters from a car just after midnight. No officers were injured, authorities said.

OAKLAND -- The Oakland Police Department said the trio was arrested about a mile north from police headquarters but gave no other information.

The incident follows a drive-by shooting Friday outside Oakland’s federal building that left a security guard dead and another injured.

Dozens more were arrested on suspicion vandalism, looting, and possession of firearms, the department said.

The city of 430,000 people across the bay from San Francisco has not imposed a curfew.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police in Portland, Oregon, arrested 12 adults over night after projectiles were thrown at officers in state’s largest city. Two juveniles were also detained. The demonstrations by thousands of people were peaceful for much of the day, but Sunday night hundreds gathered outside the Multnomah County Justice Center downtown. Police said protesters smashed windows at the federal courthouse.

"It has been a long, difficult and emotional several days in Portland and across the country and we understand why,” Police Chief Jami Resch said. “Yesterday’s events started peacefully and there was a very organic moment when some of our sergeants and demonstrators took a knee together next to the Justice Center. I am proud of this moment, as it reflects community and understanding.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Fort Lauderdale police officer has been suspended after video showed him pushing a kneeling woman to the ground Sunday.

Others on the force quickly pushed the officer away from the woman and then down the street as bottles were thrown.

Mayor Dean Trantalis told reporters that the officer, who has not been named, is suspended pending an investigation.

“If it’s turned out that he acted inappropriately, then we will have swift discipline in response to what he did,” Trantalis said. “We do not appreciate that kind of conduct, nobody in the department wants to be disrespected, and we feel this should never have happened.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A man who set fire to a historic courthouse in Tennessee during weekend protests has been arrested.

Wesley Somers, 25, is charged with felony arson, vandalism and disorderly conduct. He is accused of setting fire to Nashville’s Historic Courthouse on Saturday night. Metro Nashville Police said Somers was among 29 people arrested after protesters in Tennessee’s capital set fires inside and outside the courthouse and toppled a statue of a former state lawmaker and newspaper publisher who espoused racist views. Protesters damaged 30 businesses. In addition to the courthouse, the Ryman Auditorium, known as the mother church of country music, was damaged, police said.

Others who were arrested face charges that include assaulting police officers, disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing, police said.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Somers has an attorney.

Separate demonstrations were held in Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, and Memphis, where protesters made it onto Interstate 55, circumventing officers in riot gear.

BERLIN -- Protests against the death of George Floyd continued for a third day in Berlin, though the gathering outside the U.S. embassy Monday was significantly smaller than earlier rallies.

Police said about 1,500 people took part in a march Sunday in the German capital’s hip Kreuzberg district, after about 2,000 people staged a protest in front of the embassy Saturday.

Paul Schreiner, 69 and originally from Wisconsin, was among a dozen people holding a vigil outside the embassy Monday. “It’s my duty, I feel, to be here,” he said. “There’s a very interesting phrase that `white silence is violence,' and that moved me to make sure I came today.”

Holding a sign with the names of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and others, American citizen Carmen Osorio Rodrigues said she was concerned about the direction the United States is heading. “We have to confront these social injustices,” she said, adding: “We need clear leadership on how to act.”

WASHINGTON -- Evidence of the chaos that erupted around the White House was visible as people streamed to work Monday morning.

Plywood covered the windows of several shuttered businesses along one heavily traveled street leading to the White House, but a McDonald’s that Bill Clinton frequented as president remained open, albeit with plywood structures reinforcing its street-facing windows.

Blocks away, the windows of a major bank branch had been shattered and its exterior scrawled with expletive-filled graffiti expressing displeasure with such institutions.

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco police officers seized firearms and explosives and arrested at least 80 people Sunday night on violating a curfew and looting charges.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said demonstrations that drew about 1,000 people carrying signs and chanting “George Floyd” and “Black lives matter” were overwhelmingly peaceful Sunday and the vast majority of demonstrators dispersed without incident before the 8 p.m. curfew.

But a relatively small number of “defiant individuals” who had gathered in the Civic Center area refused to disperse, threw bottles at officers and started trash fires, Scott said.

In response, officers and deputies with the sheriff’s office began making arrests, he said.

INDIANAPOLIS -- 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.

Officer William Young of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department 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. He said police planned to release a tally later Monday of arrests that occurred during the curfew that ran from 8 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday. Curfew violators were subject to arrest and fines.

ORLANDO -- Orlando police officers deployed tear gas on Interstate 4 late Sunday after demonstrators blocked traffic in a protest over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer was captured on video pressing his kneed on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

The demonstration happened around 9 p.m. on I-4 between Ivanhoe Boulevard and Amelia Avenue. The incident occurred near the end of what was mostly peaceful protests throughout the city.

“Unfortunately, because demonstrators are throwing rocks, bottles and construction equipment, police had to deploy tear gas,” the Orlando Police Department tweeted.

It’s not known if anyone was arrested.

MINNEAPOLIS -- George Floyd’s family is set to release results Monday of their own autopsy into his death.

Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs at the time, died a week ago after a white Minneapolis officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, ignoring bystander shouts to get off him and Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe.

His death, captured on citizen video, sparked days of protests in Minneapolis that have spread to cities around America.

An official autopsy last week said the combined effects of being restrained, potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system and his underlying health issues, including heart disease, likely contributed to his death.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Police said they were forced to deploy smoke to disperse a crowd of 200 late Sunday after a protest turned violent outside PD headquarters.

“Someone tore the water meter covers off and threw them at officers,” police said. "Rocks and bottles followed. Several officers were hit."

Authorities said one officer suffered minor injuries, and patrol car window was smashed.

Fourteen were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly.

MIAMI -- Police officers fired tear gas on demonstrators who temporarily blocked Interstate 4 in downtown Orlando on Sunday night as several cities and counties across Florida issued nighttime curfews to curb the large crowds gathering to protest the latest killings of black people by police.

In Miami-Dade, the state’s most populous county, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he would postpone the reopening of the county’s beaches, which had been scheduled to reopen on Monday for the first time since March when they were closed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

Officials said nightly curfews would continue until the threats of protests turning violent subside.

In Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, peaceful protests turned more violent at times over the weekend, with some people throwing objects at law enforcement officers dressed in riot gear. At times, police used tear gas to back the crowds up.

In West Palm Beach, protesters briefly blocked Interstate 95 on Sunday.

Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said during a Sunday news conference that just 13 of the 57 people arrested live in the city of Miami. “Please don’t make the mistake of letting someone from outside suck you in to destroy our city,” he said.

But Miami-Dade Department of Corrections records show 30 of those arrested have Miami-Dade County addresses. Eleven others were from South Florida’s Broward and Palm Beach counties, while seven were listed as non-Florida residents and six were homeless.

“It’s important to understand that just because their drivers license says one address, doesn’t mean they live there,” corrections spokesman Juan Diasgranados told the Miami Herald. “For example: They could have an address registered out of state and be going to school down here.”

Protesters were demanding justice for George Floyd, a black man who died after pleading for air as a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed a knee on his neck last week. The officer was charged, but that hasn’t stemmed the protests happening in cities nationwide.

Many protests were largely peaceful across the state Sunday with thousands gathering in Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Stuart and Tampa. Some organizers intensified efforts to contain their demonstrations and prevent the violence.

In Tampa, Black Lives Matter organizers had nearly 100 safety marshals in fluorescent vests patrolling their march, trained in de-escalation tactics and ordered to be on the lookout for antagonists. The group also had medics, used walkie-talkies to quickly squelch outbursts.

“We wanted to be able to provide a safe space for their voice and rage to be heard within a controlled environment. It’s part of their amendment rights for them to be able to express themselves,” said Chaikirah Parker, who helped organize the event.

The veteran activist said they purposely held the event early Sunday, despite sweltering heat, because it brought a more peaceful demographic.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Authorities say the driver of a semitrailer who rolled into the midst of thousands of people marching on a closed Minneapolis freeway over the death of George Floyd has been arrested on suspicion of assault.

Authorities had said it appeared no one was hurt Sunday but some witnesses said a handful of people who were on Interstate 35W near downtown Minneapolis sought medical attention on their own. Authorities said they could not confirm that.

The freeway was among many shut down in the Minneapolis area for the second night in a row as officials imposed an 8 p.m. curfew and sought to make it more difficult for protesters to move around.

Bystander video showed the crowd parting seconds before the semi rolled through, then the tanker truck gradually slowed and demonstrators swarmed the truck.

Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said Sunday that it initially appeared from traffic camera footage that the semitrailer was already on the freeway before barricades were set up at 5 p.m. State Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said at a later briefing, however, that the truck went around a traffic barrier to stay on the road.

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman says arrests and assaults on journalists covering protests in the United States are “very concerning.”

James Slack said Monday that “journalists all around the world must be free to do their job and to hold authorities to account without fear of arrest or violence.”

He said the violence of the past few nights was “very alarming. People must be allowed to protest peacefully.”

Slack said “the footage of George Floyd’s death was deeply distressing and our thoughts are with all those who have been affected.”

Noting that a police officer has been charged with murder, he said “we would hope and expect justice to be done.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The police chief of Louisville, Kentucky, says police officers and National Guard soldiers enforcing a curfew in Louisville killed a man early Monday when they returned fire after someone in a large group fired at them first.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad confirmed the shooting happened around 12:15 a.m. outside a business on West Broadway, where police and the National Guard had been called to break up a large group of people gathering in defiance of the city’s curfew.

Someone fired a shot at them and the officers returned fire, the chief said. It was unclear if the person killed is the one who fired at the law enforcers, he said.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- South Dakota Gov. Governor Kristi Noem activated the National Guard after protests in Sioux Fall turned violent over the death of George Floyd.

The protest in South Dakota’s largest city started Sunday afternoon with a march downtown. Police said dozens of protesters later congregated at the Empire Mall and began throwing rocks at officers and breaking windows.

Police said protesters had dispersed by 11 p.m. Noem said about 70 Guard members are in Sioux Falls and will remain until they are no longer needed.

PARIS -- In France, family and friends of a French black man who died shortly after he was arrested by police in 2016 have called for a protest on Tuesday which will also pay homage to George Floyd.

The circumstances of the death of Adama Traore, a French 24-old-man of Malian origin, are still under investigation by justice authorities.

Calls for Tuesday’s protest in front of the Paris court come after some medical experts last week attributed the death to a cardiac problem, the latest in a series of conflicting medical assessments.

French police claimed Traore died of a heart attack due to pre-existing medical condition. His family said he died from asphyxiation from police tactics.

In a video message published on social media, Traore’s sister Assa Traore calls for protesters to express their indignation “at a time when the world, when France is outraged by the death of George Floyd.”

She said “they had the same words, their last words: `I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.'”

She denounced the latest medical experts’ report as “racist” and “untrue.”

The family wants the officers in charge of Traore’s arrest to go on trial.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- A protest along the historic Route 66 into downtown Albuquerque turned violent early Monday after police reported demonstrators setting small fires and officers say they were fired upon.

Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos says officers reported shots fired at them in front of the historic Kimo Theater early Monday after a mostly peaceful demonstration disbanded. Gallego said there was damage to several properties in the area, including broken windows and some stealing from stores.

No injuries were reported.

Before the chaos, hundreds of people on Sunday marched down historic Route 66, protesting the death of George Floyd.

Protesters in New Mexico’s largest city held signs, wore masks and chanted, “Say his name: George Floyd” and “Hands up, don’t shoot.”

Activist Arthur Bell told protesters there will be another demonstration Monday evening in front of Albuquerque Police Department headquarters, but that rally will be “different.”

When The Associated Press asked Bell what he meant by “different,” he said: “A general never gives out his tactics.”

SYDNEY -- Fearful of conflict, organizers have canceled a peaceful protest planned for Sydney over the death of George Floyd in the United States.

A rally planned at Sydney’s downtown Hyde Park for Tuesday was canceled on Monday after people threatened to create “havoc and protest against the event,” an organizer said on social media.

The rally was presented as a peaceful protest against the overrepresentation of indigenous Australians in Australia’s criminal justice system as well as in solidarity for Floyd who was “brutally and inhumanly murdered.”

Organizers posted that “although Australia is far from where the murder took place, we have a voice.”

Thousands of protesters are expected at similar rallies planned for the Australian cities of Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Sydney Radio 2GB on Monday “there’s no need to import things ... happening in other countries here to Australia,” referring to U.S. riots.

TEHRAN, Iran -- In Iran, which has in the recent past violently put down nationwide demonstrations by killing hundreds, arresting thousands and disrupting internet access to the outside world, state television has repeatedly aired images of the U.S. unrest.

Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi urged the U.S. government and police to stop the violence against their own people during a press conference in Tehran on Monday.

“To American officials and police! Stop violence against your people and let them breathe,” Mousavi said and also sent a message to the American people that “the world is standing with you.” He added that Iran is saddened to see “the violence the U.S. police have recently” set off.

BEIJING -- Chinese state media has weighed in on the protests in the U.S., comparing them to last year’s violent anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong that Beijing accuses the U.S. and other foreign forces as encouraging.

In an editorial Sunday, the ruling Communist Party newspaper Global Times said Chinese experts had noted that U.S. politicians might “think twice” before commenting again on issues in Hong Kong, knowing that “their words might backfire on them one day.”

That followed a commentary on state broadcaster CCTV Saturday that described the violence between police and protesters in the U.S. as “cup of bitter wine distilled by the U.S. politicians themselves.” Racism, the commentary said, is the “darkest shadow on American history and the scar that will not heal.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday that the protests in various American cities “once again reflect the racial discrimination in the U.S., the serious problems of police violent enforcement and the urgency of solving these problems.” China hopes the U.S. will “safeguard and guarantee the legal rights of ethnic minorities,” Zhao said at a daily briefing on Monday

The protests are an opportunity for China to allege double-standards and counter criticism from foreign governments and the Western media over its handling of the Hong Kong protests, its treatment of Muslim minorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and other human rights issues.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The state Department of Human Resources sent a directive to close all California state buildings “with offices in downtown city areas” on Monday, a sweeping mandate that covers everything from Department of Motor Vehicles offices to those that license workers and provide health care.

“After consultation with the California Highway Patrol and Office of Emergency Services, the decision was made this evening to advise all state departments with offices in downtown city areas to close tomorrow, and to notify staff of the decision,” said Amy Palmer, a spokeswoman for the state Government Operations Agency.

The directive was sent Sunday evening and it was left up to officials at individual agencies to determine which buildings should be closed.

A state Department of Justice memo sent to employees said the attorney general’s offices in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego would be closed, though employees who can work from home should do so.

“Staff assigned to these offices should not report to work for any reason. Staff who are able to telework should continue to do so despite the office closures,” the memo said.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police in Portland deployed tear gas to disperse a large crowd downtown late Sunday night after authorities said projectiles were thrown at officers.

Earlier, police said protesters smashed windows at the federal courthouse, and authorities on loudspeakers declared the gathering a civil disturbance.

Thousands of people marched throughout Oregon’s largest city on Sunday, the third day of George Floyd protests in Portland. For much of the afternoon and evening protesters were largely peaceful, but there were reports of increased violence directed at police into the night.

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Monday reported the demonstrations across the United States in reaction to the death of George Floyd, saying protesters “harshly condemned” a white police officer’s “lawless and brutal murder” of a black citizen.

The article, published with photos, said hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the White House chanting “No justice, no peace.” It also said there were demonstrations in Minneapolis, New York, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles and Memphis and that the protests were expected to grow further.

Several thousand people marched Monday in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, to protest George Floyd’s death and show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The protesters marched from Aotea Square to the U.S. consulate, where they kneeled. They held banners with slogans such as “I can’t breathe” and “The Real Virus is Racism.” Hundreds more joined protests and vigils elsewhere in the country, on a day that was a public holiday.

The protests were peaceful. Protesters said they were also standing up against police violence and racism in New Zealand.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- More than 15 people were arrested during protests in Charlotte on Sunday night, the city’s police department said.

Police said four demonstrators were arrested for assaulting officers, including one for hitting an officer with a rock. Three others were arrested on illegal weapon charges, police said.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- Shortly after local officials praised what had been a peaceful protest in Kansas City, Missouri, police fired tear gas into the crowd after some demonstrators began lobbing water bottles, law enforcement officials said.

A large crowd had gathered at County Club plaza and police had allowed it to slowly dissipate after the city’s 8 p.m. curfew took effect. But police used stronger tactics against the smaller crowd that remained when rocks and water bottles started flying and two television station news vehicles were smashed and set on fire.

Police declared the scene an “unlawful assembly” and said the area was clear of activity by midnight.

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee late Sunday ordered a statewide activation of the National Guard following vandalism and stealing in stores and shopping malls in multiple cities.

Inslee had previously authorized 400 troops for Seattle and 200 for Bellevue. On Saturday night people smashed downtown Seattle store fronts and stole items from many businesses, tossing mannequins into the street. On Sunday there were break-ins and thefts in stores and shopping malls in Bellevue, Spokane, Tukwila and Renton.

Inslee’s activation means more troops will be used to help control unrest.

“We must not let these illegal and dangerous actions detract from the anger so many feel at the deep injustice laid so ugly and bare by the death of George Floyd,” Inslee said in a statement. “But we also will not turn away from our responsibility to protect the residents of our state.”

WASHINGTON -- Break-ins and stealing were rampant in downtown Washington and elsewhere in the city as protests over George Floyd’s death turned violent for a third straight night.

Protesters broke into a branch of Capital Bank, and empty jewelry boxes could be seen scattered on the sidewalk outside a Mervis Diamonds store.

After protesters broke into a La Colombe coffee shop, someone in the crowd yelled, “What are you looting a coffee shop for? You’re messing up the whole message.”

NEW YORK -- The mayor of New York City’s own daughter is one of the nearly 790 people who have been arrested in the city since protests over the death of George Floyd began last week.

A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter tells The Associated Press that 25-year-old Chiara de Blasio was arrested Saturday night. An arrest report obtained by The New York Post says she refused to leave a Manhattan street ordered cleared by officers because people were throwing things.

Chiara de Blasio, who is black, was later given a court summons and released.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is white, didn't mention the arrest in his Sunday press briefing. City Hall spokespeople didn't have an immediate comment.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Police fired rubber bullets and pepper spray late Sunday night at demonstrators who gathered outside the downtown police station in Austin.

Live television cameras on Spectrum News showed officers firing several shots into the crowd and several people on the ground. Some people could be seen throwing water bottles at police.

The officers were stationed above the crowd on the steps of the police station and a raised section of Interstate 35.

Unlike Dallas, where police made dozens of arrests to enforce a downtown curfew, Austin doesn’t have a curfew and demonstrators have been roaming downtown from the police station to the state Capitol several blocks away for nearly 10 hours. The crowd has ebbed and flowed from a few thousand to a few hundred.

Demonstrators could not get on the Capitol grounds, which were protected by a large police presence.

DENVER -- Police fired tear gas and projectiles at demonstrators defying a Denver curfew Sunday night following a day of peaceful marching and chants of “Don’t shoot” alongside boarded-up businesses that had been vandalized the night before.

Dozens of demonstrators, some throwing fireworks, taunted police and pushed dumpsters onto Colfax Avenue, a major artery, in the sporadic confrontations that occurred east of downtown. The demonstration over the death of George Floyd came after turbulent protests that led to the arrest of 83 people Saturday night.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock called the behavior of unruly protesters “reckless, inexcusable and unacceptable.”

PHOENIX -- Protests held Sunday night in downtown Phoenix appeared to be peaceful, according to local media reports.

An hour before a curfew went into effect, activist Armonee Jackson told protesters in the parking lot of an art gallery downtown that they should avoid any violence, The Arizona Republic reported.

“Listen to me: We are not ending in violence. I refuse to end in violence,” Jackson told the crowd.

David Riutta told the newspaper that he came out to protest police brutality and wants to see a panel of civilians investigate officers’ use-of-force cases.

WASHINGTON -- As demonstrations continued past an 11 p.m. curfew, D.C. police said they were responding to multiple fires that were “intentionally set” around the city. One was at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is located across Lafayette Park from the White House.

The church says every president beginning with James Madison, “until the present,” has attended a service at the church, giving it the nickname, “the church of presidents.”

The first services at the church were held in 1816, according to its website.

WASHINGTON -- The entire Washington, D.C., National Guard -- roughly 1,700 soldiers -- is being called in to help with the response to protests outside the White House and elsewhere in the nation’s capital, according to two Defense Department officials.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said Sunday she had requested 500 Guardsman to assist local law enforcement. Later on Sunday, as the protests escalated, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy ordered the rest of the Guardsman -- about 1,200 soldiers -- to report.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

The D.C. National Guard did not reply to a request from The Associated Press for comment.

WASHINGTON -- Protesters started fires near the White House as tensions with police mounted during a third straight night of demonstrations held in response to the death of George Floyd at police hands in Minnesota.

An hour before the 11 p.m. curfew, police fired a major barrage of tear gas stun grenades into the crowd of more than 1,000 people, largely clearing Lafayette Park across the street from the White House and scattering protesters into the street.

Protesters piled up road signs and plastic barriers and lit a raging fire in the middle of H Street. Some pulled an American flag from a nearby building and threw it into the blaze. Others added branches pulled from trees. A cinder block structure, on the north side of the park, that had bathrooms and a maintenance office, was engulfed in flames.

As the curfew hit, police sealed the perimeter of the park. Shortly beforehand, police pushed a crowd of about 300 demonstrators several blocks with a series of charges with batons and riot shields.

Enraged protesters screamed, “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?” Police shot pepper powders point black at several protesters.

Several miles north, a separate protest broke out in Northwest D.C., near the Maryland border. The Metropolitan Police Department says there were break-ins at a Target and a shopping center that houses Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Store, T.J. Maxx, a movie theater and specialty stores. Police say several individuals have been detained.