Minneapolis police fatally shot a man during what's said to have been a traffic stop on Wednesday night.
The shooting, according to comments given to the Associated Press by police spokesperson John Elder, happened around 6:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday when police were "carrying out a traffic stop with a man suspected of a felony." At the time of this writing, police had not publicly announced identifying information about the man, including his race or the nature of the felony.
"MPD officers were conducting a traffic stop involving a felony suspect," police chief Medaria Arradondo said during a press conference. "Initial witness statements indicate that the subject involved in this felony stop fired first at Minneapolis police officers, who then exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The subject of the stop was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel. MPD officers were unharmed and an adult female who was a passenger in this subject's vehicle was unharmed, as well."
Following the shooting, a crowd gathered at the scene (a gas station) and pressed Elder to answer key questions. According to Arradondo, the involved officers—who have also not been identified—were part of a "response team." As MPR News reporter Nina Moini pointed out on Twitter, the fatal police shooting on Wednesday night occurred about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police earlier this year.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also shared a statement on the shooting, promising that the community will get "complete transparency" moving forward.
"Events of this past year have marked some of the darkest days in our city," Frey said. "We know a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile. Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency. I am working closely with Chief Arradondo to gather all the facts surrounding what happened tonight and will be relaying that information, in coordination with state partners, to [the] community as quickly as possible."
According to police, body camera footage from the fatal shooting will be released as soon as Thursday. The investigation is being handled by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
