Stores in the Uptown area were looted overnight after a felony suspect was fatally shot by law enforcement in a Minneapolis parking ramp.
At about 2:10 p.m. Thursday, a U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) task force attempted to arrest a person who was wanted on a state arrest warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The person was in a parked car in a parking garage on the 1400 block of Lake Street. He was uncooperative, took out a handgun, and was then shot dead by members of the task force, according to USMS.
The decedent has not been officially identified by law enforcement, but some reports have named him as 32-year-old Winston Boogie Smith. According to Crime Watch Minneapolis, Smith was sentenced to 48 months in prison in October 2018 for aggravated robbery, but his sentence was stayed.
The man killed by law enforcement today in #UptownMpls after he reportedly pulled a gun is being named by friends on social media as Winston Boogie Smith, Jr., 32. pic.twitter.com/Vx4zDtC8Nr
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) June 4, 2021
Protesters gathered near the parking ramp where he was killed throughout the day Thursday, lighting a dumpster on fire around 10 p.m.
Tonight protesters in Uptown have barricaded off Lake Street and Girard Ave and have started a fire after a homicide suspect that was shot and killed by authorities today. #Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/TptcS0gsFW
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) June 4, 2021
A woman tells organizers to "stop burning shit".
Still no police presence.
Protesters have been gathered all evening and the fire has been going at least 40 minutes. pic.twitter.com/cW90Y279La
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) June 4, 2021
There was no law enforcement presence on the scene for more than an hour. Police eventually used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The moment Police aggressively moved in on protesters and dispersed tear gas into the intersection. #Minneapolis #Uptown #WinstonBoogieSmith pic.twitter.com/A2zfDxRnbh
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) June 4, 2021
Stores in the area were then looted around 1 a.m.
CVS off Lake Street was broken into and looted. Currently someone has arrived to board up the shattered windows.
Police were able to arrive on scene before looters did more damage.#MinneapolisAtNight pic.twitter.com/549g0hOSMi
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) June 4, 2021
T-mobile was just broken into by a large group off Lake Street to loot.#Minneapolis #Uptown pic.twitter.com/eBADp21dRE
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) June 4, 2021
Update: The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy and a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy serving on the U.S. Marshals North Star Fugitive Task Force fired their weapons at Smith.
The BCA said “evidence at the scene” indicates that Smith fired his weapon from inside the vehicle. BCA agents discovered a handgun and spent cartridge cases in the vehicle, according to a press release.
The USMS does not allow the use of body cameras for officers on the North Star Fugitive Task Force and there is no squad camera footage of the incident, the press release said.
This is a developing story. Check back at Alpha News for updates.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
