Fact check: BLM protesters in Louisville protected a lone police officer

Madeleine Ngo, USA TODAY
·4 min read

Corrections and clarifications: The Associated Press, citing unidentified sources, reported in January that Officer Brian Sicknick may have been hit in the head by a fire extinguisher. But no official cause of death has been released, and U.S. Capitol Police have said only that he died “due to injuries sustained while on-duty.”

The claim: Black Lives Matter protesters once protected a cop, and rioters at the Capitol siege allegedly beat a police officer to death

After the Capitol siege on Jan. 6, many Americans criticized the police response to pro-Trump rioters, pointing to the heavy law enforcement presence at Black Lives Matter protests last year. One viral post claims that Black Lives Matter protesters in Louisville, Kentucky, protected a cop who had become separated from fellow officers and that rioters at the Capitol allegedly were responsible for an officer's death.

“I remember the cop in Louisville that got separated from the group and the BLM protesters didn’t kill him. They protected him. I watched the maga rioters beat a cop to death with a fire extinguisher,” Aaron Brown wrote. A screenshot of Brown's post was shared by a Facebook page.

The post includes a photo of Black Lives Matter protesters, arms spread out, making a barrier in front of a lone police officer. The post has been shared more than 200 times.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Facebook page for comment. Brown could not be reached for comment.

Fact check: Meme inaccurately portrays police action at New York BLM protest

Five men, including Christopher Gales, Darren Lee Jr, Ricky McClellan and Julian "New Heightz" De La Cruz linked arms to keep a crowd of protesters away from LMPD officer Galen Hinshaw on the first night of protests in Louisville on May 28, 2020.
Five men, including Christopher Gales, Darren Lee Jr, Ricky McClellan and Julian "New Heightz" De La Cruz linked arms to keep a crowd of protesters away from LMPD officer Galen Hinshaw on the first night of protests in Louisville on May 28, 2020.

BLM protesters protected the lone cop

It is true that Black Lives Matter protesters in Louisville protected a police officer who was alone, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The officer, Galen Hinshaw, was responding to another officer’s call for help over the radio, when he found himself alone in a crowd of protesters. He backed up against a wall and stopped to reassess the situation, when some protesters moved closer and started to shout at him.

As Hinshaw was scanning the crowd for weapons and waiting for help, a protester in a red University of Louisville mask stepped in front of him and the closest protester. Another protester, local entrepreneur Darrin Lee Jr., linked arms with the man in the red mask.

“Once I saw the guy with the red mask step up, I said, 'I gotta step up,'” Lee told the Courier Journal. “It was reactive. I just went.”

Fact check: Quotes from Democratic leaders about riots, unrest taken out of context

More protesters joined to form a barricade around Hinshaw until other officers arrived.

“Those guys, they saved me,” Hinshaw told the Courier Journal. “There’s no doubt about it.”

The photo included in the Facebook post was taken by Michael Clevenger, a journalist at the Courier Journal.

Protesters surround Louisville Metro Police Department officer Galen Hinshaw in front of Bearno's restaurant on Thursday, May 28, 2020. Five strangers linked arms to keep the crowd from getting to Hinshaw.
Protesters surround Louisville Metro Police Department officer Galen Hinshaw in front of Bearno's restaurant on Thursday, May 28, 2020. Five strangers linked arms to keep the crowd from getting to Hinshaw.

A U.S. Capitol Police officer died in rioting

A police officer died after he "was injured while physically engaging with protesters," according to Capitol Police. The circumstances of his death, however, are still being investigated and it is unclear if he was beaten to death, as the viral post alleges.

The officer, Brian Sicknick, died the next day in the hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries. His death is being treated as a homicide by federal and local authorities, according to USA TODAY.

U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is the fifth person to die as a result of violence at the protest.
U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is the fifth person to die as a result of violence at the protest.

More: Fact check: Viral images compare handling of Black Lives Matter protests and Capitol riot

Our rating: True

The claim that Black Lives Matter protesters in Louisville protected a cop who was separated from fellow officers and that a U.S. Capitol Police officer died after due to injuries sustained while on-duty is TRUE, based on our research.

Our fact-checking sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Louisville BLM protesters 'saved' a lone police officer

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Old Dominion Freight Line posts lower-than-expected Q1 revenue on lesser shipments

    U.S. less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion Freight Line reported first-quarter revenue below above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, as the company hauled less weight and shipments in the quarter. A shift in consumer spending post-pandemic coupled with global shipping logjams have constrained freight volumes in the industry, impacting profits at carriers such as Old Dominion. Old Dominion said it expects capital expenditure for 2024 to total approximately $750 million, with investments coming in real estate, tractor and trailers, and to expand its service centers.

  • Cobram death: man charged after woman’s body found in Victoria

    A 39-year-old man has been charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury over the death of a 49-year-old woman near NSW border

  • Boeing posts a $355 million loss as the plane maker tries to dig out from under its latest crisis

    Boeing said Wednesday that it lost $355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers. Boeing's CEO said the company is in “a tough moment,” and its focus is on fixing its manufacturing issues, not the financial results. Company executives have been forced to talk more about safety and less about finances since a door plug blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, leaving a gaping hole in the plane.

  • Ex-officer wanted for 2 murders found dead in standoff, child found safe after Amber Alert

    Elias Huizar, a former police officer accused in two murders, is found dead in Oregon. An Amber Alert was canceled after Roman Santos was found safe.

  • Mulgrave food pantry receives unexpected $150,000 from province

    MULGRAVE — Shaunna Scott of the Mulgrave and Area Medical Centre’s (MAMC) food pantry is still fathoming the good news. With a $150,000 grant this month from the provincial government, her operating budget has ballooned by ten-fold, literally overnight. “We’re astonished,” says the chair of MAMC, a small but mighty good works agency whose volunteer-run food pantry has provided an essential service for a growing number of people in her community, and neighbouring ones in Guysborough County, over

  • Man City XI vs Brighton: Erling Haaland injury latest, predicted lineup and confirmed team news

    Pep Guardiola has ruled the striker out of the game

  • Dow Jones Futures: Tesla, AI Play Surge On Earnings, Meta Looms

    A rally attempt is underway. Tesla and AI play Vertiv were big earnings winners. Meta and ServiceNow loom tonight.

  • Mulgrave faces ‘dire’ need for Scotia Days volunteers

    MULGRAVE — The Town of Mulgrave is facing stiff headwinds on two separate fronts to recruit volunteers for community programs and events this summer, says Councillor Krista Luddington. “Right now, we are on attempt number three [of] trying to hire a recreation coordinator,” she told The Journal last week. “We’re approaching July when we have our annual Scotia Days Festival (July 12-21) and, typically, the coordinator would be at the helm of that festival.” She said that, while the event has been

  • Ex-DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in court on rape and other sex charges

    His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, faces charges of aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences.

  • London travel news LIVE: Multiple train lines disrupted after damage to overhead wires near Shepherds Bush

    Three different train lines have been disrupted because of damage to the overhead electric wires between Shepherds Bush and Watford Junction. Trains running between these stations may be cancelled, delayed or terminated and started back from Shepherd's Bush. The operators affected are Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway and Southern.

  • EU Parliament backs clampdown on single-use plastic packaging

    The European Parliament approved a proposed law on Wednesday that would ban certain single-use plastic packaging like mini shampoo bottles in hotels and thin plastic bags for groceries, in an attempt to curb the rising tide of packaging waste. The European Union policy - which still needs final formal approval from EU countries - would introduce sweeping changes to the types of packaging allowed for use by food and drinks companies, restaurants and online retailers. It would ban in the EU, from 2030, single-use plastic packaging items for fruit and vegetables, condiments in fast food restaurants, thin plastic bags for groceries and mini cosmetics bottles in hotels.

  • Daniel Radcliffe plays ring bearer at Lindsay Mendez's wedding

    The Harry Potter alum is currently starring on Broadway alongside Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along. Tony Award winner Mendez married fellow actor J Alex Brinson on 22 April. Mendez's other Merrily We Roll Along co-star, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff, served as officiant. The ceremony took place in Central Park, with Mendez's three-year-old daughter Lucy as the flower girl. Mendez and Brinson announced their engagement on Christmas Day, sharing a photo prominently featuring her engagement ring. The couple revealed earlier this month that they're expecting a child together...

  • Former Kentucky superintendent charged with gun on school property has case dismissed

    An attorney argued it infringed on his Second Amendment right.

  • New Housing for Healthcare homes set for completion in December

    GUYSBOROUGH — The Housing Trust of Nova Scotia (HTNS) is sharpening its scissors for a December ribbon-cutting on eight affordable, townhouse-style rental homes it will construct this fall at Cutler’s Brook Estates in Guysborough. HTNS Executive Director Angela Bishop made the announcement at a meeting with Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Andrews and Guysborough Memorial Hospital Site Lead and Health Services Manager Michelle Myers on

  • Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund

    OTTAWA — The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020. The program was announced shortly after COVID-19 shots first became available to the public, and provides financial compensation to people who were adversely affected by Health Canada-approved vaccines. The Liberals earmarked $75 million for the first five years of the program. To date, a private firm called OXARO has receive

  • Privacy breaches at St. Martha’s impact nearly 2,700

    ANTIGONISH — Close to 2,700 people can expect to hear from Nova Scotia Health (NSH) after a hospital employee “inappropriately accessed” some or all of their private information – including MSI numbers, home addresses and even triage reports – almost a year ago. “We’re spending a lot of time making sure we know exactly what was touched so that we can contact each of the 2,690 people to work through this with them,” NSH Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President of Corporate Services Derek Spinne

  • At Least 4 Injured After Runaway Horses from Household Cavalry Gallop Through Streets of London

    "All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp," an Army spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE

  • Israel Gaza - live: ‘Extreme force’ unleashed by Israeli forces as civilians flee homes in wave of attacks

    ‘It is as if the war started again’ - Palestinian civilians have fled their homes in northern Gaza following a wave of fresh attacks in the region

  • Will Pippa Middleton receive a royal title when Kate Middleton becomes Queen Consort?

    Pippa Middleton has a very close bond with her elder sister Kate Middleton, but will she have a royal title when she becomes Queen Consort? See details.

  • Surging auto insurance rates squeeze drivers, fuel inflation

    NEW YORK (AP) — Relentlessly rising auto insurance rates are squeezing car owners and stoking inflation. Auto insurance rates rose 2.6% in March and are up 22% from a year ago. Premium costs have been marching steadily higher since 2022, even as inflation at the consumer level steadily cooled from its 9.1% peak in the middle of that year. Consumers have had some relief as the rate of cost increases for food and energy, two key components of most budgets, has eased greatly. But auto insurance and