Minneapolis police officers shot and killed a man suspected of brandishing a gun in public in south Minneapolis on Wednesday evening after a police foot chase, police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
Police received a 911 call from the 3000 block of 29th Avenue just after 9 p.m., with several people concerned about a man they said was armed with a gun and talking to himself, O’Hara said at a news conference late at night at the intersection of 35th Street and Hiawatha Avenue S.
About 16 minutes later, a second 911 call came from the 3400 block of Hiawatha, several blocks away from the first call.
The caller said they saw a man with a gun who was “acting irrationally,” O’Hara said.
Officers arrived in marked cars before beginning to pursue the suspect on foot, the chief said. The officers told the man they were law enforcement and ordered him to stop, but he did not comply, the chief said.
At some point after the chase, there was a “confrontation,” the chief said, when officers again noticed the man was armed.
O’Hara said officers gave multiple commands to drop the weapon.
The officers then shot the man, who was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the chief. Four officers responded to the 911 call and three officers fired their weapons, O’Hara said.
The chief said he did not know if the suspect fired his gun, but he said a gun was recovered and it “appeared to be jammed.”
O’Hara defended the officers’ decision to shoot the man, saying he believes it was justified and lawful.
“I’m grateful that no one else in the community was harmed by this,” he said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said early Thursday that it is investigating the “use of force incident,” and that more information will come after preliminary work is complete.
Just before 10 p.m. Wednesday, Metro Transit announced that, “due to police activity,” Blue Line train service would be suspended between the Franklin Avenue station and the 46th Street station. “Blue Line trains will change directions at these stations and will not travel to 38th St Station or Lake St Station until the situation is resolved,” Metro Transit said in its alert.
This is a breaking news story. Check back with StarTribune.com for updates.
