SLCPD releases account of Thursday protest, including four arrests made

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Police arrested four people Thursday night during protests held in response to Bernardo Palacios' death being ruled as justified.

After Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that the Salt Lake City officers who opened fire on Palacios on May 23 were justified in their use of deadly force, protesters gathered downtown. They blocked streets and vandalized the District Attorney's office building, breaking windows and covering parts of the property and street with red paint.

SLCPD announced Friday that four arrests were made:

• Ryan Moore, 39, for failure to disperse
• Mercedes McKinley, 32, for assault on a police officer and failure to disperse
• Emmanuel Hill, 21, for riot and criminal mischief
• Sofia Alcala, 18, for criminal mischief related to a protest on June 27

The department also released an account of what its officers saw and experienced, adding that the damage was estimated between $100,000 and $200,000.

SLCPD also stated that the city "will no longer tolerate vandalism, violence, or using cars to block roads," but that police will still "assist in traffic control to support peaceful protesters and remind the community that it is incumbent upon each person to respect the first amendment rights to peaceably assemble."