Minneapolis Police Fatally Shoot Armed Black Man Before Firing Tear Gas At Protesters Angry Over Dismantling Of George Floyd Square
Chaos erupted in Minneapolis after police shot an armed black man in his car, adding fuel to the fire of already angry protestors.
The man -- who was wanted on a warrant -- was shot dead after he allegedly pulled a gun at a US Marshals task force on Thursday.
According to reports, the unidentified male was wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon.
The task force moved in on him around 2 PM when they discovered he was in a parking garage located about three miles from George Floyd Square.
The man "produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject," Hennepin County Sheriff's Department said.
Officers attempted to revive the suspect but he died at the scene.
A woman -- who was riding shotgun -- was taken into custody after being treated for minor injuries reportedly caused from the shattered glass.
A bartender from a nearby business told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that several of his patrons heard 8-12 gunshots. It's unclear how many officers fired their weapons but everyone involved has been put on leave, which is standard protocol.
"Numerous" instances of vandalism and looting sparked overnight in response to the shooting, says Minneapolis police.
The shooting comes as tensions are already running high over the dismantling of George Floyd Square. Concrete barriers were torn down, as was the "autonomous zone," which was set up as a memorial following his death in May of last year.
Protestors were already in the streets after the shrine was torn down but they headed to Uptown and crowded around the shooting scene after the news hit.
They began chanting anti-police slogans and someone torched a nearby dumpster.
A local news reporter claimed the dumpster turned into a "puddle of fire" as more passersby threw things into it, adding more flames to the out of control fire.
According to reports, it took police 40 minutes to respond.
Police were seen "aggressively" moving in on protestors and shot tear gas at them.
Protestors continued to hit the streets into the early hours of the morning. Rioters looted a T-Mobile store and a CVS pharmacy, spray-painting things like "Kill cops" and "No trial for them" on the side of the buildings.
The dismantling of George Floyd Square will once again allow traffic to flow freely throughout the intersection. This is the same area where gunfire rang out on the one-anniversary of George Floyd's death.