Unrest erupts after man shot dead in Minneapolis arrest attempt
4 June 2021, 15:34
The city has been on edge since the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright.
Crowds vandalised buildings and stole from businesses in Minneapolis after a man wanted for illegally possessing a gun was shot dead by authorities.
A small crowd gathered in the neighbourhood where the man was shot, shouting expletives at police, following the shooting on Thursday afternoon.
Later in the night, people vandalised “numerous” buildings and looted some, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said. A skip was burned and windows were smashed. Arrest totals were not expected to be available until later on Friday.
Little is known about Thursday’s shooting. The US 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, did not comply with law enforcement and “produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject,” the US 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 US Marshals said the US 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 US 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 the shooting reportedly occurred showed a silver sports 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 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 shot dead in April by an officer in the nearby suburb of Brooklyn Centre.
Former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in Mr Floyd’s death, and three other officers await trial on aiding and abetting charges. Former Brooklyn Centre officer Kim Potter is charged with manslaughter in Mr Wright’s death.
