A prominent Breonna Taylor protester was fatally shot in Louisville, Ky. on Friday.
Kris Smith, a local business owner and activist 42, has been identified as the victim.
The newspaper reports that Smith recorded live streams and footage during protests over the death of Breonna Taylor. His death follows the killing of another known Breonna Taylor activist, 21-year-old Hamza “Travis” Nagdy. Nagdy was gunned down on November 23.
“Travis Nagdy, a young leader committed to the fight for justice, is gone,” Charles Booker, Kentucky state representative, tweeted in November. “As we marched for Breonna Taylor, it was often Travis and his megaphone leading the way. A bullet took his breath, but we still hear his voice.”
This week, police and federal authorities have arrested a man in connection with the murder. The FBI says Ashton Nally was arrested and placed into federal custody on federal carjacking charges, “resulting in the death of Travis Nagdy.”
“Victims of violent crime matter,” said Robert Brown, special agent in charges of the FBI’s Louisville Field Office, in a statement. “Working with our federal, state, and local partners, the FBI is committed to fostering safe communities by removing violent criminals from our neighborhoods. We want to thank the Louisville Metro Police Department, Madisonville Police Department, and US Secret Service for their partnership.”
Cori Bush, a Ferguson activist who made history last month as Missouri’s first Black female representative, revealed that she, too, had been targeted and harassed, citing her community activism as the reason.
“Something is happening,” Bush told the AP last year. “I’ve been vocal about the things that I’ve experienced and still experience the harassment, the intimidation, the death threats, the death attempts.”
At least six men connected to the Ferguson protests died within years of the civil agitation. Two out of the six were burned in cars in separate instances, but no arrests were made. Ferguson police claim there was not enough evidence to connect the killings to the Ferguson protests.
