An officer-involved shooting occurred in Minneapolis on Wednesday night and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is currently investigating the incident.
According to a press release from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), “Residents reported a man with a handgun who appeared to be talking to himself” just after 9 p.m. Minutes later, another 911 caller said they felt threatened after they saw a man waving a gun around.
The press release further states that police officers responded to the calls and found the man at the 3400 block of Hiawatha Avenue South. Identifying themselves as police officers and engaging in a foot pursuit, the officers told the man “to stop and that he was under arrest.” At the end of the pursuit, a confrontation occurred, says the press release.
The man was “armed with a handgun” and repeatedly told to drop the firearm. However, the suspect did not comply and the use of deadly force occurred, said the MPD.
The officers subsequently rendered medical aid to the man before he was transferred to Hennepin Healthcare and pronounced deceased.
According to the MPD, “There are four officers that were involved, and preliminary information indicates that three officers were involved in the use of force.” In turn, all four officers were placed on administrative leave, a standard practice after an officer-involved shooting occurs.
In the MPD’s press release, Chief Brian O’Hara said “this appears to be an individual who was armed with a handgun and acting irrationally and I’m thankful that no one else was harmed by this incident.”
“We await the results of the BCA’s investigation to learn more about what precipitated this incident,” added Chief O’Hara, noting that he has “no reason to think that this is anything other than a justifiable and lawful use of force by police officers.”
Body-camera footage of the incident will eventually be released in accordance with Minnesota law.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
