George Floyd U.S. protests live updates from June 3, 2020

A full autopsy of George Floyd provides several clinical details - including that Floyd had tested positive for COVID-19.

The 20-page report released Wednesday by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office came with the family's permission and after the coroner's office released summary findings Monday that Floyd had a heart attack while being restrained by officers, and classified his May 25 death as a homicide.

The report by Chief Medical Examiner Andrew Baker spelled out clinical details, including that Floyd tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3 but appeared asymptomatic. The report also noted Floyd's lungs appeared healthy but he had some narrowing of arteries in the heart.

Police say many smash-and-grab thefts that coincided with protests have been carried out by caravans of well-coordinated criminals capitalizing on chaos. They use social media to communicate with each other and do things to distract and throw police off their trail. 

The wave of crime has followed largely peaceful demonstrations, and law enforcement experts note that it has happened in big and small cities and in rural areas. 

Thieves often target high-end shops as officers are assigned to prevent protests from becoming unruly and enforce curfews. 

In the San Francisco Bay Area, a band of thieves stole nearly 75 vehicles from a dealership.

The driver of a black BMW attempted to drive through protesters blocking an intersection in Cincinnati on Tuesday. The Cincinnati Police Department released video of the incident.

The driver approaches the protesters slowly, apparently attempting to scatter them enough so the car could get through the intersection. A few move out of the way, but at least one demonstrator gets back in front of the car. The driver continues moving forward, making contact with the protester and pushing them backwards. The car eventually comes to a stop and the other protesters return and swarm the vehicle, blocking its path once again.

The driver then puts the car in reverse and speeds off in another direction. 

There were "mass arrests" in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday night about an hour and a half after the city's 8 p.m. curfew took effect, CBS New York reported. A video tweeted by a CBS New York reporter shows members of the NYPD loading detained protesters onto a bus. Police also took bicycles from protesters and put them in a truck, the outlet reported. 

A number of New York Times staffers on Wednesday tweeted their objections to an op-ed that urged the country to "send in the troops" in response to the illegal activity that has occurred alongside the largely peaceful protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. The op-ed, which was published earlier Wednesday on the Times' website, was written by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. 

"One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers. But local law enforcement in some cities desperately needs backup, while delusional politicians in other cities refuse to do what's necessary to uphold the rule of law," Cotton wrote. 

At least eleven people identified on Twitter as New York Times employees posted criticisms including "Running this puts Black @nytimes staff in danger." Other journalists followed suit. 

The editorial page editor of the Times posted a lengthy thread explaining the decision. "Times Opinion owes it to our readers to show them counter-arguments, particularly those made by people in a position to set policy," James Bennett tweeted. 

"We understand that many readers find Senator Cotton's argument painful, even dangerous. We believe that is one reason it requires public scrutiny and debate." 

African-Americans across the country have taken to the streets and to their social media feeds to plead through protest that "black lives matter" and "enough is enough." But amidst all the noise and all the hashtags, many African-Americans say there is nothing quite as deafening as "white silence." 

Because for all the people who have flooded social media with George Floyd's name, Ahmaud Arbery's image and countless heartbreaking personal anecdotes of racism in action, there are just as many — and possibly even more — who have borne witness to the pain in black communities and chosen to say nothing.

"It's incredibly hurtful," said Broadway star Jelani Alladin. "And you're telling me that you have no hesitation posting a selfie of yourself... or what you're eating for dinner, and yet you're telling me that you're afraid to say something because you might hurt other people's feelings? Or you don't know what to say? Or you don't have an audience to reach? Were you thinking those things when you posted the other photos? I don't think you were." 

Golden State Warrior stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson joined several teammates Wednesday in a march along Oakland's Lake Merritt, calling for change in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Chanting "George Floyd," the Warriors stars were among the several hundred marchers taking part in Walking In Unity, which was organized by teammate and Bay Area native Juan Toscano-Anderson.

"It don't matter the color of your skin, or where you are from, of how much money you got," Toscano-Anderson told the crowd. "We are all human beings. We are all here for the same purpose."

Read more at CBS SF Bay Area.

Three Nevada men with ties to a loose movement of right-wing extremists advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government have been arrested on terrorism-related charges in what authorities say was a conspiracy to spark violence during recent protests in Las Vegas.

Federal prosecutors say the three white men with U.S. military experience are accused of conspiring to carry out a plan that began in April in conjunction with protests to reopen businesses closed because of the coronavirus and later sought to capitalize on protests over the death of a Minneapolis man in police custody.

They were arrested Saturday on the way to a protest in downtown Las Vegas after filling gas cans at a parking lot and making Molotov cocktails in glass bottles, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press.

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas on Wednesday said they self-identified as part of the "boogaloo" movement, which U.S. prosecutors said in the document is "a term used by extremists to signify coming civil war and/or fall of civilization."

Stephen T. Parshall, 35, Andrew T. Lynam Jr., 23, and William L. Loomis, 40, were being held on $1 million bond each in the Clark County jail Wednesday, according to court records.

Each currently faces two federal charges - conspiracy to damage and destroy by fire and explosive, and possession of unregistered firearms - along with multiple terrorism-related state charges.

Court records don't list lawyers for the men.

In O'Fallon, Missouri, Ryan Staples was about to lead a protest march when he saw the Police Chief Tim Clothier. "I said, 'lock arms with me chief and let's go,'" Staples told CBS News. "It was probably the best moment I've ever had in my entire life."

Just four days before, the 18-year-old graduated high school.

"So I was at work and I just pulled out my phone and I saw a lot of violence occurring in cities across the nation. And I talked to my friends and I was like, 'hey, guys, I'm going to start a protest.' And they were like, 'oh, really?'"

Hoping to become a civil rights lawyer, Staples relies on the past to chart his future.

"It just felt so empowering to realize that I am doing what my ancestors did before me," he explained. "And I'm a part of the change that's coming."

Read more here.

President Obama is encouraging Americans to make "real change" in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing wave of protests.

"As tragic as these past few weeks have been, as difficult, scary and uncertain as they've been, they have also been an incredible opportunity for people to be awakened," the former president said at a virtual event hosted by My Brother's Keeper Alliance Wednesday afternoon. It's a moment to "change America and make it live up to its highest ideals," he continued.

"What has happened over the last several weeks is — challenges and structural problems here in the United States have been thrown into high relief," Mr. Obama said. "They are the outcomes not just of the immediate moments in time, but they're the result of a long history of slavery and Jim Crow and redlining and institutionalized racism that too often have been the plague, the original sin of our society."

Read more here.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis denounced President Trump, the "militarization" of Washington, D.C., and the "abuse of executive authority" of forcing protesters from Lafayette Square in a stunning statement that made the case that the country is witnessing the consequences of a president who has sought to "divide" the nation for three years.

It's the most forceful statement yet from the decorated retired Marine Corps four-star general who left his role as defense secretary in late 2018 amid disagreements with the president about withdrawing troops from the Middle East.

"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people - does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us," Mattis said in his lengthy statement titled, "In union there is strength." "We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society."

Mattis also condemned the "militarizing" response that has played out in D.C. and that the president has threatened to use on states, and he rebuked Defense Secretary Mark Esper for referring to U.S. cities and streets as a "battlespace." He also rejected the president's insistence that the military needs to "dominate" the streets.

Read more here.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is expected to announce Thursday that an iconic confederate statue in the state's capital will be removed, an administration official in Northam's office confirmed to CBS News.

The Associated Press first reported on Northam's decision. 

According to the official, the Governor will announce plans to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee during an 11 a.m. press conference Thursday. 

Since the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who lost his life after a police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes, protests have erupted nationwide over racial injustices and police brutality. Data from the city shows the officers' actions may have been part of a growing trend of misconduct in the midwestern police department.

New complaints of misconduct against the Minneapolis Police Department hit a record high in 2018, jumping 41.5% to 569 from 402 in the year prior, according to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Since the city began recording data on misconduct complaints in 2003, the number has steadily increased, from a low of 68 in 2008 to a more than seven-fold increase a decade later, the financial documents show. Data for 2019 is not yet available.

According to the same financial documents, as of December 31, 2018, the city was at the center of four cases "that allege injury or wrongful death, as a result of police misconduct," and in May 2019 it settled another wrongful death claim for $20,000. These cases, it noted, were outside of what the city would consider the normal number and amount of legal claims.

Read more here.

Going into the ninth night of protests in the U.S., more than 13,500 people from 43 cities have been arrested for civil unrest since Thursday, according to data collected by CBS News.

New York City and Los Angeles have the most arrests, with a combined total of nearly 5,000 people. Los Angeles, along with Dallas and Washington, D.C., saw a spike in arrests on Monday night when local police enforced curfews.

Minneapolis, Boston and Miami each logged two arrests connected to the protests on Tuesday night.

The vast majority of the people arrested are locals, those who live in or near the city in which they were arrested. No evidence indicates that masses of people are going into these cities to agitate protests, arrest records show.

Reporting credits: Megan Towey, Kristin Steve, Cassidy McDonald, Jessica Kegu

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Wednesday that cases similar to the murder of George Floyd have long been "under-prosecuted," and added that winning a conviction will not be easy.

"I'll be honest here. Our country has under-prosecuted these matters. In Minnesota and throughout the country," Ellison said at a press conference announcing amended charges to former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin. He also announced that the three other officers present while Mr. Floyd was restrained have now been charged with aiding and abetting murder in the second degree.

Ellison said historically "people who are public guardians" have not been held accountable in situations where they should have, leading to public mistrust.

"But we can't control the past, all we can do is take the case that we have in front of us right now and do our good-faith best to bring justice to this situation, and we will," he said. 

Ellison noted that Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who previously handled the case, is the only prosecutor in the state of Minnesota who has successfully convicted a police officer for murder. "He can tell you that it's hard," he said. 

"I say this not because we doubt our resources or our ability, in fact, we're confident in what we're doing," Ellison said. "But history does show that there are clear challenges here and we are going to be working very hard and relying on each other and our investigative partners in the community to support that endeavor."

Former President Jimmy Carter said in a statement that he and former first lady Rosalynn Carter are "pained by the tragic racial injustices and consequent backlash across our nation in recent weeks," as protests continue across the U.S. after the death of George Floyd.

With Carter's statement, all living U.S. presidents have spoken out about Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police last week.

The former president noted that in his 1974 inaugural address as Georgia's governor, he said "the time for racial discrimination is over." In his statement Wednesday, Carter expressed dismay that he has to repeat that sentiment nearly five decades later. 

Read more here.

Three more former police officers who were involved in the arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis have been charged in connection to his death, and the officer who pressed a knee to Floyd's neck faces a new charge of second-degree murder, according to court documents.

The three additional officers — Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng — have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four officers have been fired.

Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death last week. Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, including two minutes in which Floyd was unresponsive, according to prosecutors.

Read more here.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced Wednesday that he has extended the nighttime curfew for Minneapolis and St. Paul through Wednesday and Thursday, as protests continue to rage in the state and across the nation. The curfew will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. both nights.

"Since Mr. Floyd's death, thousands of Minnesotans have expressed their frustration in a peaceful and constructive manner. Peaceful demonstrations are essential to our democratic system," Walz said in the executive order extending the curfew. 

"Unfortunately, some individuals have engaged in unlawful and dangerous activity, including acts of arson, rioting, looting, and damaging public and private property. This senseless violence tears at the fabric of our society, does not reflect our values, and presents a clear and present danger to life and property in Minnesota." 

John Boyega addressed a crowd of thousands of Black Lives Matter demonstrators in London's Hyde Park on Wednesday, telling them he was speaking out even though it might negatively affect his career.

"This is very important," he said. "This is very vital. Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain't waiting."

Organizers hushed the crowd and asked people to remain seated to hear Boyega speak.

"I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing. And that isn't the case anymore. That is never the case anymore," he said. 

"We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence. And Mark Duggan," Boyega said.

"It is very, very important that we keep control of this movement and we make this as peaceful as possible ... because you know what, guys, they want us to mess up. They want us to be disorganized. But not today. Not today."

Boyega then marched with demonstrators along the streets of central London as they chanted "George Floyd," and "Belly Mizunga," the name of a black transit worker who died of coronavirus after she said she was spit on in the workplace by a white man claiming to have the disease. The police recently closed her case without making any prosecutions.

George Floyd's family on Wednesday demanded the arrest of all four police officers involved in his death, as they visited a makeshift shrine at the Minneapolis street corner where he died, CBS Minnesota reports.

The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who were present were also fired but have not been charged in Floyd's May 25 death.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, repeated his call for all four officers to be charged.

"He died because he was starving for air," Crump said. "He needed a breath. So we are demanding justice. We expect all of the police officers to be arrested before we have the memorial here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, tomorrow."

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz made an unannounced visit to the memorial earlier Wednesday.

Philadelphia's citywide curfew will remain in effect for a fifth straight night. The curfew will go into effect at 6 p.m. and continue until 6 a.m. Thursday.

During the curfew, people may leave their homes only to go to work at essential businesses or to seek medical attention or police assistance.

Police say they have made hundreds of arrests since the unrest began Saturday for looting and curfew violations.

A federal program restarted by President Trump that has transferred billions of dollars of weapons and other military armaments to local police departments faces renewed scrutiny amid crackdowns by law enforcement on Americans protesting the death of George Floyd.

The government's 1033 Program transfers surplus equipment from the U.S. armed forces to civilian law enforcement agencies. Some of that gear goes to national agencies, such as the U.S. Postal Service, whose Denver unit in January received three riot suits, six padded shields and 23 batons, according to federal disclosures.

But much of the military equipment transferred through the program ends up in police departments across the country. In February, for instance, police in Patterson, Georgia, a city with a population of 730, was shipped a $950,000 portable combat simulator. The department will use the device to "make sure our officers are trained to the best standards," according to the application Patterson officials submitted to claim the simulator.

In all, more than $7 billion worth of military equipment has gone to around 8,000 civilian policing organizations under the 1033 program, according to government records. And the program is again drawing notice in Washington, D.C., fueled by reports of heavy-handed police tactics to suppress protests and enforce curfews. 

Read more here.

In a powerful video, Keke Palmer pleaded with National Guard troops to march with demonstrators during a George Floyd protest in Los Angeles on Tuesday. While the soldiers couldn't move from their post, they showed their solidarity in another way. 

As a crowd gathered around videotaping the scene, Palmer, co-host of the daytime talk show "Strahan, Sara and Keke," urged several National Guard members to join the cause and march alongside the protesters.

"You have to pay attention about what's going on, or else — we have a president who's trying to incite a race war," Palmer said. "Our borders are closed, we can't leave. We have people here that need your help. This is when y'all stand together with the community, with society, to stop the governmental oppression. Period. We need you, so march with us."

Read more here.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted Wednesday that the state is on its 95th day of the coronavirus pandemic and 10th day of civil unrest after George Floyd's death. The governor said both situations are "critical," adding that "the consequences are steep on both sides of this equation."

"If you're going to protest, protest intelligently. Remember that the COVID virus is still out there," Cuomo said. 

New York City saw violence and looting hit its streets this week amid protests. An 11 p.m. curfew was in effect on Monday night and on Tuesday it started three hours earlier in an effort to stem the unrest. 

Cuomo said Wednesday that "New York City last night was much better;" and said the controversial 8 p.m. curfew is necessary for police to address looters. 

"Violence actually demeans the situation and loses the righteous indignation," he said of the looters. 

The National Guard said 74,000 of its soldiers and airmen were activated nationwide as of Wednesday morning for domestic operations, calling it a "historic" figure. 

By comparison, about 51,000 Guard members were activated in the response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit the U.S. in 2005, the Guard said in a press release.

A total of 31 states and the District of Columbia have activated 30,000 National Guard members to "support of civil unrest operations," while about 39,400 members of the National Guard are supporting coronavirus response efforts across the country.

Philadelphia police are gearing up for another day of possible unrest as protests continue in the city following George Floyd's death, CBS Philly reports.

Tuesday's demonstrations were mostly peaceful.

Officials implemented a curfew mandate for the fourth straight night to help curb violent protests and looting. Police say they have made 703 arrests since the unrest began Saturday for looting and curfew violations.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes invoking the centuries-old Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty troops to states to quell protests, directly contradicting President Trump, who threatened on Monday to send the military to states that are unable to "dominate the streets" in response to large demonstrations.

"The option to use active-duty military should only be as a last resort. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," Esper said in a press conference at the Pentagon.

The law, originally signed by Thomas Jefferson in 1807, allows the president to send military troops to a state if requested by the state legislature or governor. A provision of the law enacted in 1956 also allows the president to unilaterally deploy troops and federalize state national guard units in certain cases, including to suppress a rebellion.

During his speech Monday evening in the White House Rose Garden, Mr. Trump said, "If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them."

Read more here.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police was "inexcusable," and he understands why people are protesting.

In his first public comments on the turmoil roiling the U.S., Johnson told lawmakers "what happened in the United States was appalling, it was inexcusable, we all saw it on our screens and I perfectly understand people's right to protest what took place."

He added that protests "should take place in a lawful and reasonable way." 

Johnson, who has sought to nurture close ties with President Donald Trump as he leads the U.K. out of the European union, deflected calls from the opposition to suspend exports of tear gas and rubber bullets to the United States. Johnson said all British arms exports comply with the country's human rights obligations, "and the U.K. is possibly the most scrupulous country in that respect in the world."

-CBS/AFP

Several people were arrested for violating a curfew in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday night, CBS Sacramento reports.

Authorities started taking over the streets of downtown Sacramento just before 10 p.m. after a protest that was mostly peaceful. While most protesters cleared out, some of those who remained were taken into custody.

The city declared a local public emergency and imposed a citywide curfew that starts every night at 8 p.m. and goes until 5 a.m. "until further notice." It first went into effect on Monday after "violence, chaos, and destruction that took place on Saturday night and Sunday morning," the city said.

"A nighttime curfew is necessary for public safety in order to prevent personal injury, property damage, and maintain order," it says.

The District of Columbia National Guard has launched an investigation into a low-flying maneuver by one of its helicopters over protesters in the nation's capital on Monday, its commanding general announced.

"I hold all members of the District of Columbia National Guard to the highest of standards," Major General William Walker said in a statement Wednesday. "We live and work in the district, and we are dedicated to the service of our nation."

The D.C. National Guard was mobilized earlier this week to assist with the response to protests taking place in the nation's capital. While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, some earlier this week led to vandalism and destruction near the White House once the sun set. On Monday, as protesters marched through the district after its 7 p.m. curfew, video emerged of a military helicopter hovering low over the crowd, kicking up debris around them.

Walker said the D.C. National Guard is examining the use of the medical evacuation helicopter as part of its probe.

Read more here.

Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the death of George Floyd. He directly addressed "brothers and sisters in the United States," saying he has "witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days," following the officer-involved death of Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota.

"My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life," he said. "At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating."

The Pope said nothing is gained by violence and much is lost. 

He also lead a prayer for Floyd "and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism."

Read more here.

From Australia and New Zealand to the capital of Europe, thousands have echoed the refrains of "I can't breathe!" and "no justice, no peace!" heard in many American cities. But protests taking place worldwide are not being held simply in solidarity with the U.S. demonstrators. 

George Floyd's death has reignited rage against racial injustices in communities across the globe. 

Christian Kabasele, who joined a protest in Dublin, Ireland, said he, "felt like that could have been me. That could have been my brother."

"Black lives matter!" shouted the crowds in London, with a protest leader urging everyone to "say his name: George Floyd!"

In Paris it was a different name, but a similar case. Floyd's death has reawakened fury over the 2016 death of 24-year-old Adama Traore in police custody.

Read more here.

A day after unruly crowds led Oakland, California, police to use tear gas and rubber bullets while arresting over 100 people at the end of a massive George Floyd march, protesters on Tuesday were far more peaceful, CBS SF Bay Area reports. 

Protesters gathered after an ‪8 p.m. curfew. They chanted and one man spent an hour recounting his personal story of what he says was racial profiling by police. There were no calls to disperse, no threats of chemical agents or arrests. 

At 10 p.m., two hours after the curfew started, Oakland police announced over a loud speaker they were going to open the roadway for traffic. They thanked the protesters for their peaceful demonstration asked people to move to the sidewalks for their safety.

A few minutes later, the line of officers disbanded and walked away, leaving only a handful of demonstrators still gathered at a corner in Oakland.

From Miami to Coral Springs, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets on Tuesday calling for change. They want more police accountability and an end to racism.

CBS Miami reports that during the marches, the protesters pretty much policed themselves. People on bicycles blocked traffic and if there was a rowdy protester, that person was told to calm down.

In Miami, protesters marched from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office to Wynwood and back. Organizers said they want prosecutors to not fear charging officers for breaking laws. 

Another protest was held near Coral Springs Charter High School. It was planned by two teenage Pakistani Americans who said they are familiar with oppression.

Organizers of protests said they don't plan on slowing down. 

Miami-Dade and Broward County officials are considering keeping night-time curfews in place through the weekend.

At least 9,300 people have been arrested in protests across the country since the killing of George Floyd, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

Los Angeles has recorded 2,700 arrests since the protests, followed by New York with about 1,500. Police in Dallas, Houston and Philadelphia have also arrested several hundred people.

The count reflects how much police activity has surrounded the protests that have engulfed cities from coast to coast.

New York City's second night of curfew still had people on the streets, but judging by the number of arrests things were much quieter than the night before. The NYPD said approximately 200 people were arrested — compared to about 700 the night before, CBS New York reports. 

Some looting was reported, and protesters defied the curfew.

As the sun went down Tuesday evening, police blocked traffic below 96th Street in Manhattan for the 8 p.m. curfew — an effort to curb looting and violence that has broken out at nightfall. 

The curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night for the rest of the week. Patrols are doubled and officers are working 12-hour shifts.

"If people are going about their business or people are on their way home, we understand that," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "The curfew is there to allow the police to be able to address any situation where someone is trying to do violence to a person or property."  

Police tried and failed to stop a large group from crossing the Manhattan Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. 

The Frank Rizzo statue in Philadelphia's Center City was removed overnight, CBS Philly reported on Wednesday morning. It was vandalized during protests over George Floyd's death. There were also attempts to tear it down. 

The statue of the former mayor, which has stood on the steps of Philadelphia's Municipal Services Building for over a decade, was removed around 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Crews used a crane to lift the 2,000-pound, 10-foot tall bronze statue and take it away. It happened under the watchful eyes of the National Guard and very few other onlookers.

The former police commissioner and two-term mayor was a controversial figure in Philadelphia. The South Philly native is remembered by supporters as a devoted, outspoken public servant. But Rizzo's critics, many of them people of color, say his approach to policing and governing was corrupt and racist.

A Denver police officer was fired Tuesday for posting a photo this weekend of himself and two other officers in tactical gear with the caption "Let's start a riot" in the middle of demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd. Officer Thomas McClay was fired for violating the department's social media policy.

McClay was terminated just a day after an internal affairs investigation was launched. The department's social media policy which bars officers from making posts that could impair the department's "working relationships" or the performance of their duties.

McClay, who joined the department in October after graduating from the department's academy, could not be immediately reached for comment.

-CBS/AP

A retired St. Louis police captain who became a small-town police chief was killed by people who broke into a pawn shop after protests turned violent, authorities said. David Dorn, 77, was found dead on the sidewalk in front of Lee's Pawn & Jewelry about 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

No arrests have been made.

The shooting and theft apparently was posted on Facebook Live, but the video has since been taken down. It came on a violent night in St. Louis, where four officers were shot, officers were pelted with rocks and fireworks, and 55 businesses were burglarized or damaged, including a convenience store that burned. 

Police also shot and gravely injured a burglary suspect who they say shot at officers.

-CBS/AP

As people flood streets across America to protest the killing of George Floyd, public health experts fear the crowds, tear gas and arrests will lead to new transmissions of coronavirus.

An Associated Press review found that in the last week, there have been demonstrations in every one of the 25 American communities with the highest concentrations of new virus cases. Some have seen major protests over multiple days.

The protests come as communities across the nation loosen restrictions on businesses and public life that have helped slow the virus' spread, deepening concern that the two taken together could create a resurgence in cases nationally.

Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga says he tested positive for COVID-19 after he attended a protest in Tulsa. Ogbongbemiga made the announcement in a Twitter post.

The 21-year-old Ogbongbemiga says he protected himself during the protest. "Please, if you are going to protest, take care of yourself and stay safe," he wrote.

One commenter to the post observed: "I dont think you got it at the protest.. if you weren't wearing a mask you may have spread it but covid has a long intubation period and symptoms don't just appear that fast... praying you recover quickly.. we honestly won't know the impact of covid from this for 2 weeks."  

-CBS/AP

A Buffalo woman is facing felony charges after she drove a car through a group of police officers, injuring three of them.

Deyanna Davis, 31, was arrested Tuesday by New York State Police after she was released from the hospital, NYSP said in a statement. 

Davis faces five felony charges, including aggravated assault upon a police officer and 2nd degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Of the three officers injured, two are NYSP officers and one is with the Buffalo Police Department.

Buffalo Mayor Bryan Brown announced Tuesday that the Buffalo police officer who was struck by the car is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, according to CBS affiliate WIVB's Marlee Tuskes.

South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn on Tuesday criticized President Trump over a Monday photo op. Police cleared protesters before Washington D.C.'s curfew went into effect so that Mr. Trump could walk unimpeded to a nearby church to pose for photos with a Bible.

"It seems as if the president considers the exercise of one's First Amendment rights to be carnage," Clyburn said Tuesday on CBSN's "Red & Blue" program. "How we define it, generally, he has contributed to it more than any president in my lifetime. I don't think any president since maybe Woodrow Wilson."

Speaking about the death of Geroge Floyd and Minnesota's decision to open a civil rights investigation into the Minnesota Police Department, Clyburn said, "We have to begin to take action here. We can't allow these things to continue to happen."