MINNEAPOLIS — Police in Minneapolis say they will quickly release body camera video from a traffic stop that ended with a man shot dead Wednesday evening, the city’s first police-involved death since George Floyd died while being restrained by officers in May.
"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," Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said.
The man died at the scene late Wednesday night. A woman who was a passenger in the man’s car was unharmed.
Arradondo says the officers’ body cameras were turned on and has promised to release the video on Thursday.
"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,” Arradondo added.
The shooting has stirred anxiety about renewed protests, seven months after unrest following Floyd’s death. Wednesday’s incident happened just about a mile from where Floyd died.
"We want to do everything we can to protect everyone's First Amendment rights, to freely assemble, demonstrate, but, I say again, we cannot allow for destructive criminal behavior. Our city has gone through too much,” Arradondo said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saidhe was working closely with Chief Arradondo to gather all the facts of the shooting and promised the information would be shared with the community as quickly as possible.
