A felony suspect stopped by the Minneapolis police for a traffic violation on the city’s southside Wednesday night, exchanged gunfire with police and was killed. This marked the first police killing in Minneapolis since the May 25 death of George Floyd.
(Screenshot / Minneapolis Police Department)
The shooting occurred about 6:15 p.m. at the Holiday gas station at E. 36th Street and Cedar Avenue, the Minneapolis StarTribune reported. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said witnesses reported that the suspect fired first, and that “police officers then exchanged gunfire with the suspect.” A woman was in the car but not injured.
According to emergency dispatch audio, an officer radioed in immediately after the shooting, calling for help, saying “Shots fired! Officer needs help! We have two people inside the vehicle, one male is down. We still have one female in the car with her hands up. We need perimeter, we need perimeter!”
Later, a crowd of about 100 angry protesters congregated near the scene launching expletives and snowballs at the police, according to the StarTribune.
Chief Arradondo pleaded with protestors to remain peaceful and said he would move quickly to release body camera footage of the shooting Thursday. He said his officers would respect protesters’ freedom of speech but that “we cannot allow for destructive criminal behavior.” (RELATED: Minneapolis City Council Cuts The Police Department’s Budget, But Not Number Of Officers)
“We know a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a prepared statement. Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency. … We must all be committed to getting the facts, pursuing justice, and keeping the peace.”