MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Five people have been shot near the site of an ongoing protest over the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer, a Minneapolis Police Department spokesman said.
Spokesman John Elder told The Associated Press in an email just before midnight Monday that five people were shot. All five have injuries that are not life-threatening, he said.
The Star Tribune reported the shootings occurred near an alley about a block away from the 4th Precinct station, where protesters have been conducting a sit-in since the shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark on Nov. 15.
Police department Deputy Chief Medaria Arradondo told the newspaper three gunshot victims were taken to a hospital.
No further details were immediately available. It wasn't clear if a suspect or suspects were in custody.
Oluchi Omeoga, who has been participating in protests since last Monday, witnessed the incident.
Protesters saw three people wearing masks who "weren't supposed to be there," Omeoga said. Eventually, the three people left the crowd and began walking down the street, and a few protesters followed. When they reached a corner, the three people pulled out weapons and gunshots rang out, Omeoga said.
Miski Noor, a spokeswoman for Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, said she arrived at the precinct about five to 10 minutes after the shooting. She said police had put up tape around the shooting scene and the crowd was going in size.
Authorities have said Clark was shot during a struggle with police after he interfered with paramedics who were trying to assist an assault victim. But some people who said they saw the shooting allege Clark was handcuffed.
Protesters and Clark's family have been calling for investigators to release video of the shooting. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said it has video from the ambulance, a mobile police camera and other sources, but none of it shows the event in its entirety. The agency, which is conducting a state investigation, said releasing the footage now would taint its investigation.
A federal criminal civil rights investigation is also underway, to determine whether police intentionally violated Clark's civil rights through excessive force.