Minneapolis police officers shot and killed a man suspected of waving a handgun in public after a police foot chase Wednesday night in south Minneapolis, according to Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
Police received a 911 call just after 9 p.m. from the 3000 block of 29th Avenue with multiple people concerned about a man they said was armed with a handgun and was talking to himself, O’Hara saidt a late-night news conference at the intersection of 35th Street and Hiawatha Avenue S.
About 16 minutes later, a second 911 call came in from the 3400 block of Hiawatha, several blocks away from the initial call.
The caller said they saw a man displaying a handgun who was “acting irrationally,” O’Hara said.
Officers arrived in marked cars before they began chasing the suspect on foot, the chief said. The officers told the man they were police and ordered him to stop, but he didn’t 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 gun.
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 whether the suspect fired his gun, but he said a gun was recovered and that it “appeared to be jammed.”
O’Hara defended the officers’ decision to shoot the man and said he thinks it was justified and lawful.
“I’m thankful no one else from the community was harmed by this,” he said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said early Thursday it was investigating the “use-of-force incident,” with more information to come after its preliminary work was complete.
A little before 10 p.m. Wednesday, Metro Transit announced that, “due to police activity,” the Blue line train service would be suspended between the Franklin Avenue station and 46th Street station.”Blue line trains will reverse direction at these stations. Trains will not travel to 38th St Station or Lake St Station until situation is resolved,” Metro Transit said in its alert.
This is a breaking news story. Check back at StarTribune.com for updates.
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