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Unrest Erupts in Minneapolis After Police Fatally Shoot Man During Arrest

By Hannah Yang, Associated Press

04 June 21

 

rowds vandalized buildings and stole from businesses in Minneapolis’ Uptown district after officials said a man wanted for illegally possessing a gun was fatally shot by authorities who were part of a task force trying to arrest him that included U.S. Marshals.

Following the Thursday afternoon shooting, a small crowd gathered in the area where the man was shot, shouting expletives at police.

Around a dozen businesses near the site of the shooting were vandalized or looted during the overnight unrest.

According to Jill Osiecki, director of the Uptown Association, a non-profit group which promotes the Uptown area and its businesses, a CVS, Walgreens and T-Mobile store were looted. Other businesses reported being broken into.

A dumpster was burned and windows were smashed. Arrest totals weren't expected to be available until later Friday.

Members are feeling the strain, said Osiecki, especially since business started ramping up after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

“It seems to be this circle that just is never ending. We have some hope to see the end of some of this unrest,” she said. “Unfortunately, things like this that are out of control will continue to happen. It’s frustrating.”

Osiecki said the group has reached out to the city to see if there might be extra safety assistance for the area over the weekend.

Little is known about Thursday's shooting. The U.S. Marshals Service said a task force was trying to arrest the man on a state warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The man, who was in a parked car, didn't comply with law enforcement and “produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject,” the U.S. Marshals said in a statement. Task force members attempted life-saving measures, but he died at the scene, they said.

It was not clear how many law enforcement officers fired their weapons. A spokeswoman with the U.S. Marshals said the U.S. Marshals leads the task force, which is comprised of several agencies. Other agencies with personnel on the scene at the time of the shooting include sheriff's offices from Hennepin, Anoka and Ramsey counties, the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the Department of Homeland Security.

The U.S. Marshals said a female who was in the vehicle was treated for minor injuries due to glass debris.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, an aerial view of the top level of the parking ramp where Thursday’s shooting reportedly occurred showed a silver sport utility vehicle with a shattered back window. It was surrounded by many other vehicles near a white pop-up tent. Several officers were nearby and in a glass-enclosed stairwell.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms both tweeted that they were responding to help investigate. The Marshals said the state BCA is leading the investigation.

The Minneapolis Police Department said it was not involved in the shooting.

The city has been on edge since the deaths of George Floyd, a Black man who died last year after he was pinned to the ground by Minneapolis officers, and Daunte Wright, a Black motorist who was fatally shot in April by an officer in the nearby suburb of Brooklyn Center.

Before Thursday night's unrest, tensions in Minneapolis already had risen after crews early Thursday removed concrete barriers that blocked traffic at a Minneapolis intersection where a memorial to Floyd was assembled after his death. Crews also cleared artwork, flowers and other items from 38th Street and Chicago Avenue where Floyd was killed, informally known as George Floyd Square, but community activists quickly put up makeshift barriers.

Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death, and three other officers await trial on aiding and abetting charges. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter is charged with manslaughter in Wright's death.