[ad_1]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis Police said they would release body camera video of a traffic stop on Thursday that ended in a man shot dead, the city’s first fatality between police and the police since the death of George Floyd while being held by officers in May.
Police said the man was a crime suspect and died in a shootout on Wednesday on the south side of town. Chief Medaria Arradondo said witnesses said the man fired first. He said police officers’ body cameras were on and promised to release the video on Thursday, even as a state investigation unfolded.
The shooting sparked concern over further protests, seven months after the unrest following Floyd’s death. The latest shooting happened about a mile from where Floyd died while being held by officers.
“I want our communities to see this so that they can see for themselves,” he said. Until then, Arradondo said, “Please allow me (state) investigators, give us time, let us get the evidence, get the facts, so we can deal with that. “
Police spokesman John Elder said the incident happened around 6:15 p.m. at a Holiday gas station as officers were carrying out a traffic stop. Police did not provide details of the alleged crime or release any information about the man, including his race.
The elder said medical staff declared the man dead at the scene. A woman in the car was not injured, Elder said. He declined to say whether police recovered a gun from the site of the shooting.
Elder said no officer was injured. He said he did not know how many officers were at the scene carrying out the traffic check or how many were involved in the shooting.
The state’s Criminal Arrest Office is investigating.
Dozens of people gathered at the scene within hours of the shooting, including some who interrupted Elder and sharply questioned him as he gave a media availability.
Arradondo said the traffic stop was carried out by members of a police community response team – long-standing units that respond to situations such as drug investigations and crimes with handguns. fire. He said he did not have further details as to why the man was wanted.
The shooting occurred less than a mile from the corner of the corner where Floyd, a black man, died in May after a Minneapolis officer rested his knee on Floyd’s neck for minutes., even as Floyd pleaded he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death sparked days of sometimes violent protests that spread across the country and reverberate around the world.
In Minneapolis, Floyd’s death also led to a push for radical change in the police service, long criticized by activists for what they called a brutal culture that has resisted change. A push by some city council members to replace the department with a new public security unit failed this summer.
Mayor Jacob Frey and Arradondo, who opposed the removal of the department, have proposed several policy changes since Floyd’s death, including revising use of force policies and making officers accountable for their attempts to defuse situations. Just this week, the chief and mayor unveiled a new plan to more quickly involve the city attorney’s office in investigations of officers accused of misconduct.
Frey said in a statement Wednesday evening that he was working with Arradondo to obtain information about the shooting and vowed to release it as quickly as possible in coordination with the state’s investigation.
“The events of the past year have marked some of our city’s darkest days,” said Frey. “We know that a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile. … We must all commit to knowing the facts, seeking justice and keeping the peace.
The four officers involved in Floyd’s death were fired and promptly charged with his death. They are due to be tried in March.
[ad_2]
Source link