COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the second straight night, demonstrators gathered in downtown Columbus in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.
According to a tweet from the Columbus Police Department, two officers were injured when protestors threw rocks or bricks at them. Five people were arrested during the evening's demonstration, which also included broken windows and fireworks being set off in the streets.
Earlier on Friday, Governor Mike DeWine held an impromptu press conference at the Ohio Statehouse following Thursday's protests in Columbus.
"Protests expressing outrage are not only understandable they are appropriate," DeWine said.
But following protests in Columbus on Thursday evening and more demonstrations planned throughout the state this weekend, DeWine called for any future protests to be peaceful.
"Regardless of the issue, please do so peacefully," DeWine said. "We must not fight violence with more violence."
DeWine's comments came hours after protests in Columbus resulted in damages to businesses and the statehouse. A demonstration regarding Floyd's death in downtown Cleveland is planned for Saturday at 2 p.m.
On Thursday as well as Friday, residents in Columbus flooded the streets of downtown in protest. The crowd could be heard chanting," no justice, no peace, no racist police," as police tried to defuse the situation.
On Monday, a viral video showed Floyd being arrested by multiple police officers. Despite Floyd pleading, “please, I can’t breathe!”, one officer continued to apply pressure to his neck with his knee, with Floyd eventually losing consciousness and later being pronounced dead.
According to the Minneapolis Police, Floyd was handcuffed and arrested after police were called to respond to a forgery and advised that he was intoxicated. Four police officers have been fired as the result of Floyd's death. One person was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.
The reaction to Floyd's death has included protests and riots in Minneapolis and an outpouring of support on social media, where many have spoken out against what they view as a gross abuse of power.