A Black Lives Matter supporter wearing a “Justice for Breonna Taylor” shirt shot and killed three people at a bar in Louisville, Kentucky, on the evening of Friday, Sept. 18.
The alleged shooter was Michael E. Rhynes, a 33-year-old African American man who was arrested by Louisville police several hours after the shooting incident. Eyewitness accounts from the event describe Rhynes as wearing a shirt that said “Justice for Breonna Taylor,” a Louisville EMT held up by the Black Lives Matter movement as a victim of so-called police brutality. Taylor was shot during an operation to apprehend her boyfriend, a known drug dealer.
“Nobody had ever seen this guy before,” said Joe Bishop, owner of Bungalow Joe’s Bar and Grill, where the shooting took place.
“I didn’t think I’d be scrubbing blood off my patio on a Saturday morning. I thought I was getting ready for everybody to watch the ballgame.”
At around 11:15 p.m. on Friday, Bishop received a call at home from one of his managers saying that a shooting just occurred at his bar. When he arrived at Bungalow Joe’s, he was informed that one of the victims was rushed to the hospital while two others were lying dead on their patio.
According to Bishop and other eyewitnesses, it was a normal Friday night at the bar when Rhyne just suddenly walked into the bar and shot three customers, all men, at point-blank range. None of the men exchanged any words before the shooting occurred.
“It was a totally random act,” said Bishop. “Why? Why? I mean, I could understand if there was an altercation, but why?”
Despite being in the red state of Kentucky, Louisville has long been a stronghold of the Democratic Party. It has not had a Republican mayor or a Republican-majority city council for decades. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and learn about how liberal cities like Louisville are on the brink of collapse thanks to a variety of factors, including mismanagement of the response to the pandemic, rampant violence and rioting engineered by the radical left and ineffective Democratic Party-led governance.
Rhynes was smiling as he was arrested
The Louisville Metro Police Department arrived at the bar at around 11:30 p.m. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office pronounced two of the victims, Toreon Jermaine Hudson, 26, and William Scott Smallwood, 48, dead at the scene. The third, Steven Matthew Head, 24, died from his injuries at nearby University Hospital. Hudson was African American, while both Head and Smallwood were White.
Rhynes was arrested several hours later. Metro police found him hiding in a bush near the bar. Police said Rhynes’ clothing and appearance matched what they saw in the bar’s security cameras. He was also carrying a handgun loaded with several rounds that matched the shell casings found at the scene. Photographs taken of his arrest show him smiling as he was being led away to the patrol car.
Rhynes’ social media account contains posts expressing approval over causes supported by domestic terrorist organization Black Lives Matter, such as kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games.
Rhynes is being charged with three counts of murder. His first court date is on Monday, Sept. 21, and his bond was set at $2 million. His court-appointed counsel tried to get the bond lowered, citing his clean criminal record, but the district court judge, Tanisha Hickerson, argued against it.
“I understand that he doesn’t have much of a criminal history. However, the allegations he’s facing now are significant, and they cause the court many concerns for his release. Therefore, the bond will remain the same, finding him both a danger to the community and a flight risk while these charges are pending.”
This shooting, along with many others Louisville has experienced this year, is helping the city break its all-time yearly homicide record. Metro police have responded to 121 homicides since Sept. 19, including one other shooting that occurred over the weekend that killed one Black man.
According to metro police Lt. Donny Burbrink, the problem lies with the community, as he alleges that the police are not getting any kind of support from local civic groups and other Louisville government agencies. “Until we can develop something across the board to work with other entities outside the police department, I don’t know how we take care of this problem.”
Support for victims pours in thanks to compassionate community members
Bishop immediately created a GoFundMe page to help cover the funeral expenses of the three victims. The initial goal was to raise $30,000, but as of writing the fundraiser has received $45,753 from over 400 different donors. The community also came together to pay their respects. Many people left flowers and balloons outside Bungalow Joe’s on Saturday.
Smallwood, one of the victims, was very well-liked by the staff at Bungalow Joe’s and was also the fiance of one of his managers. Bishop says Smallwood “didn’t have an enemy in the world,” and that he was a regular at the bar.
“Every time you came up here, there was a good chance Scott was going to be there.”
The sign above the door to Bungalow Joe’s reads “Family Grill & Pub.” Bishop says this perfectly describes his store. “They’re my family,” he said. “My customers, my employees. They’re just all my family. And when they hurt, I hurt.”
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