Violence Erupts Again in Cincinnati

Police fired bean bags, rubber bullets and tear gas to quell people who broke windows and looted stores Tuesday during a protest over the police shooting of an unarmed black man.

It was the second day that protesters ran through the streets, and police in riot gear formed protective cordons around City Hall and the nearby police headquarters. Some officers were on horseback.

About 50 people threw rocks and bottles at windows, and a sidewalk vendor’s stand was ransacked Monday afternoon, police Lt. Ray Ruberg said. Police arrested 20 people between midafternoon and late Tuesday, Ruberg said. Twenty others had been arrested in the previous 24 hours, and 25 people have been hospitalized, police said.

As darkness fell, violence spread into a neighborhood near downtown, where police reported scattered incidents of looting, setting of fires and assaults on motorists.

Some clergy members said they wanted to go out on the streets and urge youths to stop, but police said it was too dangerous.

Mayor Charles Luken appealed for calm during a Tuesday evening news conference inside City Hall, where police in riot gear guarded the front door. He called for a public dialogue to replace violence.

“If we can’t do that, then I’m not optimistic that the future will be that much better than the past,” Luken said.

The confrontations came four days after Timothy Thomas, 19, was fatally shot as he ran from a police officer trying to arrest him on 14 warrants. Thomas, of Cincinnati, had been wanted on misdemeanor charges and traffic violations, including driving without a license and failing to wear a seat belt.

On Tuesday, the FBI opened a civil rights investigation and will forward its findings to the Justice Department, FBI spokesman Ed Boldt said. He added that a ruling is not expected for months.

Prosecutor Michael Allen said a Hamilton County grand jury might also investigate the shooting, which came as tensions were already high between police and many blacks. Four black men have been killed by officers since November.

On Monday, police also fired bean bags as about 800 demonstrators gathered downtown. Some of the demonstrators disrupted a City Council committee meeting.

“We tried to keep the situation from escalating any more,” Lt. Col. Ron Twitty said.

Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. offered condolences to Thomas’ family at a news conference Monday. He declined to say what prompted Officer Steve Roach to shoot.