Ex-Kentucky officer pleads guilty to striking protester

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A former Louisville police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to striking a kneeling protester in the back of the head with a riot stick during protests over the death of Breonna Taylor last year.

Cory P. Evans pleaded guilty in federal court to the charge of using unreasonable force on a detainee.

Evans, 33, of Sellersburg, Indiana, struck the protester, who was identified as “M.C.,” while the person was kneeling with hands in the air, according to a release from the Department of Justice.

The incident occurred during the early nights of protests in Louisville on May 31, 2020, a few days after Taylor's boyfriend's 911 call was released. Evans was downtown that night on curfew duty.

The Department of Justice said Evans admitted in court to striking the protester. The victim suffered a gash on their head and fell forward after they were struck, the release said. Evans resigned from the force in June.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot to death in her apartment by officers serving a narcotics warrant. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, told investigators he thought an intruder was breaking in and fired his gun. No drugs were found.

Evans faces up to 10 years in prison on a conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 23.