More than 700 officers in 25 states were attacked, most of them likely injured, amid riots across the nation over the past few weeks, according to an incomplete tally by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the country’s largest police union.
Most of the attacks involved rioters throwing bricks and rocks at officers, while officers were hit with bats or had Molotov cocktails thrown at them.
At least nine officers were shot, one fatally, and one stabbed and slashed, according to the tally. The motive in the fatal shooting remains unclear and may not be related to the riots.
The FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have placed the brunt of the blame for the violence on anarcho-communist group Antifa, though Attorney General William Barr said “there’s a witch’s brew of extremist groups that are trying to exploit this situation on all sides.”
About 40 were arrested for committing acts of violence including using Molotov cocktails, setting fires, damaging property, and looting.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), the nation’s largest municipal department, had nearly 200 officers injured. The Chicago Police Department, the second-largest, had over 130 injured.
The most serious officer injury directly related to the protests may be the shooting of Shay Mikalonis, 29, on June 1 in Las Vegas. The bullet struck him in the back of the head, paralyzing him from neck down, his family said.
The barrage of attacks is accompanied by demands by the protesters that police forces be defunded or disbanded completely.