A man suspected of assault was shot on a north Minneapolis street by a police officer early Sunday while allegedly hindering emergency responders from aiding his victim.
The shooting ignited a chaotic scene of shouting and taunting bystanders who believed the man was handcuffed before police opened fire.
Police Chief Janeé Harteau said Sunday afternoon that her department’s preliminary information is that the man was not handcuffed when police shot him.
The confrontation began about 12:45 a.m. in the 1600 block of Plymouth Avenue N., according to police. Authorities have yet to reveal the identities of the people involved or elaborate on the exact circumstances leading up to the assault.
Nekelia Sharp, who lives across the street, said an ambulance was called after the suspect and his girlfriend got into an argument. While paramedics were taking the girlfriend away, the suspect tried to talk to her. Sharp said that’s when he was handcuffed and then shot.
Bystanders swarmed as emergency vehicles were responding. In a video posted on Facebook by a witness, one woman was repeatedly shouting, “Y’all just killed that man!” Others nearby were pointing at police and taunting them.
[According to police] Officers answered a call about an assault and were then alerted that the suspect “had returned to the area and was confronting paramedics and disrupting their ability to render aid,” a statement from police read.
Protestors interrupted a meeting at the Minneapolis Urban League where Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Jane Harteau addressed community members.
As officers were attempting to calm the suspect, an altercation erupted with the man, “who was not in handcuffs,” the statement continued.
“At some point during the struggle, an officer discharged his weapon, striking the suspect,” the statement read.
http://www.startribune.com/police-o...t-suspect-during-physical-struggle/349730171/
The shooting ignited a chaotic scene of shouting and taunting bystanders who believed the man was handcuffed before police opened fire.
Police Chief Janeé Harteau said Sunday afternoon that her department’s preliminary information is that the man was not handcuffed when police shot him.
The confrontation began about 12:45 a.m. in the 1600 block of Plymouth Avenue N., according to police. Authorities have yet to reveal the identities of the people involved or elaborate on the exact circumstances leading up to the assault.
Nekelia Sharp, who lives across the street, said an ambulance was called after the suspect and his girlfriend got into an argument. While paramedics were taking the girlfriend away, the suspect tried to talk to her. Sharp said that’s when he was handcuffed and then shot.
Bystanders swarmed as emergency vehicles were responding. In a video posted on Facebook by a witness, one woman was repeatedly shouting, “Y’all just killed that man!” Others nearby were pointing at police and taunting them.
[According to police] Officers answered a call about an assault and were then alerted that the suspect “had returned to the area and was confronting paramedics and disrupting their ability to render aid,” a statement from police read.
Protestors interrupted a meeting at the Minneapolis Urban League where Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Jane Harteau addressed community members.
As officers were attempting to calm the suspect, an altercation erupted with the man, “who was not in handcuffs,” the statement continued.
“At some point during the struggle, an officer discharged his weapon, striking the suspect,” the statement read.
http://www.startribune.com/police-o...t-suspect-during-physical-struggle/349730171/
