More than 200 peaceful protesters gather in downtown Salt Lake City
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sofia Alcala kneels with protesters on State Street, as they take a moment of silence for Bearnardo Palacios, during a Justice for Bernardo demonstration, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sofia Alcala leads the crowd, during a Justice for Bernardo demonstration, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Justice for Bernardo protesters march down 400 South in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sofia Alcala speaks to the crowd, during a Justice for Bernardo demonstration, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Angela Johnson marches with Justice for Bernardo protesters, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A counter protester to the Justice for Bernardo demonstration films protesters, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Justice for Bernardo protesters gather at the Salt Lake District Attorney's office, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Justice for Bernardo protesters march down 500 South, during a demonstration, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lorena Burciaga speaks to the crowd, during a Justice for Bernardo demonstration, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Protesters grab signs to put up in their neighborhoods, during a Justice for Bernardo demonstration, in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
Nearly 200 demonstrators gathered Tuesday in downtown Salt Lake City as several weeks of protests over police violence continued in Utah’s capital city.
Nearly 70 people came together and displayed signs reading “Justice for Bernardo” beginning at around 5 p.m. near the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, at 35 E. 500 South, in support of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, shot and killed by officers in May.
The crowd, most of them wearing masks, had grown to more than 200 participants 90 minutes later, when demonstrators marched along 500 South to Main Street under the gaze of a few counterprotesters along the route.
The city has seen near-daily protests since the May 25 death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who was killed in Minneapolis during an arrest. Protesters also await a decision by Salt County District Attorney Sim Gill on whether to charge Salt Lake City officers involved in the shooting death of Palacios-Carbajal.
Palacios-Carbajal was shot and killed by officers in the early morning of May 23. Responding to reports of a gun threat at a motel, police chased the man for several blocks before firing more than 20 rounds at him as he ran away from them, body camera footage shows.
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