MINNEAPOLIS — A man was killed Thursday when authorities who were part of a task force that included U.S. Marshals fired their weapons after he allegedly displayed a handgun in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood, the U.S. Marshals said.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday. The U.S. Marshals said preliminary information indicates task force members were attempting to arrest a man wanted on a state warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The man, who was in a parked car, didn’t comply with law enforcement and “produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject,” the U.S. 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 U.S. Marshals said the U.S. 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 U.S. Marshals said a female who was in the vehicle was treated for minor injuries due to glass debris.
Few other details were provided. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms both tweeted that they were responding to help investigate. The Marshals said the state BCA is leading the investigation.
The Minneapolis Police Department said it was not involved in the incident.
A small crowd had gathered in the area in a city that 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 fatally shot in April by an officer in the nearby suburb of Brooklyn Center.
Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death, and three other officers await trial on aiding and abetting charges. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter is charged with manslaughter in Wright’s death.
While some members of the crowd shouted expletives at the police on Thursday, overall the crowd remained peaceful.
According to the Star Tribune, an aerial view of the top level of the parking ramp where Thursday’s shooting reportedly occurred showed a silver sport 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.
This story was first published on June 3, 2021. It was updated on June 4, 2021 to correct that Daunte Wright was shot in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center and that Kim Potter was a Brooklyn Center officer.
