ALBANY, N.Y. - Governor Cuomo took a break from his daily coronavirus briefing to address the clashes between protesters and police over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Violent clashes were not confined to New York City; there were flare ups in Albany, Syracuse and Rochester among other cities. Responding to two nights of clashes in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the governor has called for an independent investigation by Attorney General Letitia James.

Cuomo said he was disturbed by some do the videos he saw of NYPD officers confronting demonstrators, but stopped short of criticizing the department.

"Police are in an impossible situation in some ways, but their behavior is everything, and I've seen the videos. Some of which are very disturbing. Some of which are inexplicable to me, the governor said.

Cuomo says he expects more clashes Sunday night. He has deployed state police to Rochester and other cities, and says the National Guard is on standby. There will not be any statewide curfews for now. Local governments will need to make these determinations on a case by case basis.