Thousands defy NYC curfew as protests continue

NEW YORK (AP/FOX 5 NY) - Thousands of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd remained on the streets of New York City on Tuesday after an 8 p.m. curfew took effect. Government officials established the curfew in an attempt to curb the vandalism and destruction unfolding every night for several nights in a row.

Mayor Bill de Blasio extended the curfew through the weekend and also moved up the nightly start time from 11 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Police also banned most vehicles south of 96th Street in Manhattan during the curfew. 

More than 200 people were arrested during demonstrations and looting Tuesday night. It came after mostly peaceful protests had resumed earlier in the day over the killing of Floyd, a black man who died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after he stopped moving and pleaded for air. 

People marched in groups of thousands in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn as merchants boarded their businesses. 

As the sun went down over the city, several thousand people continued to march in several neighborhoods. Images on social media showed some more apparent acts of vandalism and break-ins at retailers. 

Cops and protesters appeared to get into a standoff at the Manhattan Bridge. Police blocked the path coming off the bridge. Some protesters were seen turning around and heading back to the Brooklyn side. 

The NYPD said officers were involved in a deadly shooting in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn around 9:20 p.m. but said it was not connected to the protests. The shooting took place near Dean Street and Rochester Street. The man was warned to drop his gun, but he refused. He was shot dead. A man he had shot earlier was listed in stable condition.

Officers started ordering people to move along, and began taking people into custody. Cops herded off some demonstrators who had been on the West Side Highway in lower Manhattan. Officers then blocked off parts of the roadway behind the marchers.

"Something has to break, and it's not going to be us," said Evan Kutcher, one of the hundreds of demonstrators who stood outside the Barclays Center chanting Floyd's name Tuesday evening.

"We're here because something needs to change. We hear Cuomo and de Blasio everyday saying what's happening is unacceptable but with no actionable plan from them."

De Blasio insisted the city would put a stop to the violence and vandalism that have marred largely peaceful mass demonstrations surrounding Floyd's death.

The violence had left smashed storefronts in midtown Manhattan with Macy's flagship store among those hit. A police sergeant was hospitalized after being hit by a car in the Bronx, where people tread Tuesday between broken-into buildings and a burned-out car on the Grand Concourse, a commercial thoroughfare.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized de Blasio's handling of the tense situation and offered to send in the National Guard.