MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota agency is investigating the shooting by a Minneapolis police officer of a black man suspected in an assault, an incident that sparked protests and prompted a community forum with the mayor and police chief.
Accounts from some witnesses that the man was handcuffed when he was shot early Sunday morning led to outrage. Police said their preliminary investigation shows the man was not handcuffed, but the investigation is ongoing.
Jason Sole, chair of the Minneapolis NAACP’s criminal justice committee, said many black residents of north Minneapolis are upset.
“We have been saying for a significant amount of time that Minneapolis is one bullet away from Ferguson,” he said, referring to the police shooting last year in the St. Louis suburb that prompted nationwide protests. “That bullet was fired last night. We want justice immediately,” Sole told Minnesota Public Radio News.
The shooting happened after police said they were called to north Minneapolis around 12:45 a.m. Sunday for a report of an assault. When they arrived, the man had returned and was interfering with paramedics who were assisting the victim, police said. Officers tried to calm him, but there was a struggle.