On 25 August 2020, demonstrators gathered for a third consecutive day in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city located approximately 40 mi (65 km) south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Demonstrations earlier in the day were largely peaceful and dispersed just prior to the previously imposed 2000 local time (0100 UTC on 26 August) curfew. At 2100 local time, police officers deployed pepper balls in an attempt to disperse remaining demonstrators. Protesters launched fireworks at police officers and attempted to push over a fence in front of the courthouse. Subsequently, police officers deployed tear gas and drove an armored vehicle into the crowd to disperse the protest, driving the crowd toward Sheridan Road.
At approximately 2345 local time, an armed individual shot and killed two people and wounded another along Sheridan Road near the site of the protests. Reports indicate that the assailant engaged in an argument with some demonstrators prior to the shooting. Authorities are still searching for the shooter. Since local protests began, armed groups — what police officials have described as “vigilante militia” — have appeared in the city claiming their intention is to protect local businesses from damage and looting. The Kenosha County Sheriff stated that he was unsure whether the suspect was linked to any such group.
Elsewhere, confrontations occurred at anti-racism protests occurred in Portland, Oregon, and Louisville, Kentucky, during the evening of 25 August without reports of casualties at either event. Police officers arrested at least 64 people in Louisville.
