Police make 3rd arrest in damaged Nashville courthouse
Published 11:49 am Thursday, June 4, 2020
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NASHVILLE (AP) — Police have arrested a third person after a historic courthouse in Tennessee was vandalized during a weekend protest that turned violent.
Metro Nashville Police said Wednesday that Vincent Hamer, 18, had been arrested on charges of aggravated rioting and felony vandalism. According to law enforcement, photos and video footage allegedly show Hamer breaking at least two windows.
Protesters in Tennessee’s capital set fires inside and outside the courthouse on Saturday after a peaceful rally turned violent in response to the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died after an officer pressed a knee on his neck.
It was not immediately known if Hamer had an attorney.
This is the third arrest police have made in their attempt to find who damaged the courthouse.
On Sunday, police arrested Wesley Somers, 25, on charges of felony arson, vandalism and disorderly conduct. He is accused of setting one of the fires in the courthouse.
Shortly thereafter, Tondrique Fitzgerald, 23, was arrested after police accused him of pulling a granite civil rights plaque off the courthouse wall. Fitzgerald faces aggravated rioting and felony vandalism charges.
In total, 30 businesses were vandalized, including a handful of Nashville’s famous honky tonks on Broadway. A statue of a former state lawmaker and newspaper publisher Edward Carmack, who espoused racist views, was toppled.
