Fatal Police Shooting Sparks Protest in Minneapolis

A Minneapolis officer shot and killed a man who reportedly opened fire on officers during a traffic stop Wednesday night. The fatal officer-involved shooting is sparking new tensions in the city, which is still deeply on edge since the in-custody death of George Floyd last May and the riots that followed.

Scores of protesters quickly descended on the scene of the shooting in a gas station parking lot in South Minneapolis, about a mile from the intersection where Floyd died, facing off in below-freezing temperatures with police officers clad in riot gear, some clutching batons and cans of pepper spray, the Washington Post reports.

The tense scene, reminiscent of clashes between police and demonstrators in the aftermath of Floyd’s death, continued into the early-morning hours Thursday and prompted calls for peace from Minneapolis officials anxious to avoid a repeat of the May unrest that left parts of the city burned and destroyed.

In  a late-night news conference , Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo announced he would release body camera footage of the shooting on Thursday in an effort to calm tensions and increase transparency about the incident. He said his department would protect the public’s right to “freely assemble and demonstrate” but said he would not tolerate “destructive criminal behavior.”

“Our city has gone through too much,” Arradondo said.