Minneapolis police fatally shoot man during traffic stop, chief to release body cam footage

Minneapolis police fatally shot a man during a traffic stop Wednesday evening, the latest police killing in the city since George Floyd’s death rocked the nation in May. 

Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a press conference that the man, who has not yet been identified and was described as a felony suspect, fired first and that he intends to release body cam footage from the shooting.

“Initial witness statements indicate that the subject involved in this felony stop fired first at Minneapolis police officers who then exchanged gunfire with the suspect,” Arradondo said. 

“MPD officers were unharmed and an adult female was a passenger in this subject vehicle was unharmed as well,” he added. 

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

No further details were provided about the incident, including the race of those involved. Arradondo said more information will be released later this week, including the identities of the officers, but that in the meantime footage of the shooting will be made public Thursday to provide transparency over the shooting.

“I want the community to be able to see what occurred and I think that that is part of us again moving forward and wanting to make sure we get the facts out there,” he said.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently investigating and collecting “critical evidence” at the scene, the chief said. 

Protesters were later seen congregating near the scene of the shooting, throwing snowballs and chanting at police officers in the area.

Crowd pushes #Minneapolis police cruiser away using snowballs following the killing of a motorist near 36th and Cedar.

(@JohnScollins) pic.twitter.com/dRTFnMmxCf

— This Is What’s Trending Now (@TrendingThisIs) December 31, 2020

The demonstrations followed those earlier this year after Floyd was killed when an officer pinned him down by his neck for nearly nine minutes. Four officers involved in the killing were later fired and charged.

“As chief, I recognize the trauma that our city has been under, and we want to do everything we can to maintain the peace,” Arradondo said. “Our city has gone through too much. We need to keep our officers safe, we need to keep our community safe, and I tell you, we need to preserve that crime scene.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) in a statement posted to Facebook recognized the killings in the city in the past year and vowed “complete transparency.”

“We know a life has been cut short tonight and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile. Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency. I am working closely with Chief Arradondo to gather all the facts surrounding what happened tonight and will be relaying that information, in coordination with State partners, to community as quickly as possible,” he said. 

“We must all be committed to getting the facts, pursuing justice, and keeping the peace.”