Jefferson Davis monument torn down by protesters in Richmond

A monument of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was pulled down by protesters in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederate States of America.

The statue was brought down late Wednesday night along Monument Avenue, which has been a center of focus during a national reckoning after the death of George Floyd, with

and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney

.

A large crowd gathered around and sang as crews of protesters removed the statue from the road and drove away.

Richmond police were called to the scene around 11 p.m. and formed a perimeter around the toppled statue of Davis, who served as the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865.

The sculpture was towed away just before midnight as a crowd of bystanders cheered.

Police remained by the statue for much of the night, but cleared the area by Thursday morning.

This is the third statue to be brought down by protesters in recent days after the

and a Confederate general

were also torn down. On Tuesday night, the Christoper Columbus statue was ripped from its foundation, spray painted, and then set on fire

.

The statue of Gen. Williams Carter Wickham was pulled from its pedestal in Monroe Park late Saturday night, with a rope tied around it and someone reportedly urinating on it after it was pulled down. Photos and video from The Richmond Times-Dispatch showed the what appeared to be red paint splashed or sprayed on the statue.

Officials in states across the country have announced the removal of Confederate-era statues and monuments amid widespread civil unrest following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck as three other officers stood by.

Gov. Northam has vowed to take down Richmond's monument of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee "as soon as possible" and put it into storage, but

. The 60-foot-tall statue, among others on Monument Avenue, has been vandalized with graffiti.

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.