Man killed by police after hours-long standoff in Minneapolis

When officers arrived "they heard additional shots. Officers also saw debris exploding from walls as more shots were fired."

A Minneapolis Police Department officer sits in a squad car behind a police line at the scene of a shooting. (Tony Webster/Flickr)

A man was shot and killed by Minneapolis police after a six-hour standoff at an apartment building in the Seward neighborhood early Thursday morning.

Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Minneapolis police from the Third Precinct were called to the third floor of an apartment building on the 900 block of 21st Avenue South after a woman and her two children reported shots entered their unit. When officers arrived, “they heard additional shots. Officers also saw debris exploding from walls as more shots were fired.”

Minneapolis police spokesperson Garrett Parten said police called for back up and worked to rescue the mother and her two children to safety.

“Officers also worked to move others they believed to be in danger’s way to safety,” he said. “The focus then became on a man who had isolated himself in his apartment.”

According to police, the man was a neighbor to the mother and her two children.

A police SWAT team negotiated with the man throughout the night and into the morning hours. Parten said the negotiations included calling the man’s phone, bringing his parents to the scene, and providing communications from his parents in the form of phone calls, voicemails, and video messages. Officers also used loud speakers numerous times to instruct the man to exit his apartment with his hands up.

After about six hours of attempted negotiations, an officer-involved shooting occurred around 4:30 a.m. The man was transported to Hennepin Healthcare where he later died.

No other injuries were reported at the scene. Police did not identify the man, but Crime Watch described the man as a black, thin male with long hair. He was reportedly in his 20s.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has started an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

In response to the shooting, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) reminded the public that this remains an active investigation and urged residents to wait for all the facts before drawing a conclusion.

“Over the last several years, misinformation, rumors, and innuendos have led to pain and distrust in our community and justice system,” MPPOA said in a statement. “We want to thank our members of law enforcement that acted swiftly and in the face of immediate danger.”

MPPOA said as officers rescued residents from this “rapidly unfolding and dangerous situation and attempted to de-escalate this situation, law enforcement remained steadfast in protecting the public.”

“It is not uncommon for law enforcement to put their own lives at risk while protecting others they serve in their communities and this serves as an example of that,” the group said.

The organization then asked the community to keep the family and law enforcement in their thoughts and prayers.

Meanwhile, a separate shooting occurred Wednesday night at 9:13 p.m. when a woman in her 50s and three men in their 20s sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Officers from the Fourth Precinct responded to a report of multiple shots and tires squealing. Officers found evidence of gunfire, a rifle, and blood outside of a business. One of the men relocated to an address near 33rd and Knox and called 911 there.

Preliminary information indicates that a dispute escalated to gunfire, police said. No arrests have been made.

A gunshot victim from Northeast Minneapolis also arrived at the hospital shortly after midnight in a separate incident, Crime Watch Minneapolis reported.

 

Pafoua Yang

Pafoua Yang is a reporter for Alpha News. She has worked as an on-air reporter for stations across the Twin Cities.