RICHMOND - Protesters in Virginia responding to the death of George Floyd earlier this week in Minneapolis smashed windows at police headquarters and briefly shut down a major highway.
In Richmond, a Friday evening protest that began at Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, drew hundreds of people who marched through the streets chanting "no justice, no peace."
As the protest ran on, news outlets report a police cruiser and a dumpster near Richmond Police headquarters were set on fire. A Richmond television reporter covering the protests was struck by a thrown bottle. Later, a city bus was set ablaze. Police responded by spraying chemicals. Virginia Capitol Police said Saturday that Capitol Square will remain closed Saturday.
In Hampton Roads, hundreds of protesters, white and black, marched from Fort Monroe to Interstate 64 to close the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. They entered the highway shortly before 9 p.m. and stopped traffic in both directions, causing delays before moving on, news outlets reported.
The protests in Virginia were similar to those carried out across the nation in response Floyd's death. His arrest Monday was caught on camera and he could be heard saying "I can't breathe" while a white officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.