(The Post Millennial) – Wednesday night, a man was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with Minneapolis Police during a felony suspect stop at a south Minneapolis gas station.
Police said officers initiated a traffic stop on a felony suspect and gunfire was exchanged at around 7 pm at the Holiday gas station at 36th Street and S. Cedar Avenue.
The male driver of the suspect vehicle, was shot and killed. A bullet hole was spotted in a squad car at the scene. The female passenger was not harmed.
Police gunfight with felony suspect in Minneapolis
Suspect is dead. Investigation has begun
Witnesses report bullet hole in squad car. Gun found on the suspect. Femal passenger was not harmed
First fatal shooting in the city since the death of George Floyd
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Sources told Fox 9 that “…officers recovered a gun from the suspect’s person and that the suspect fired at police.” According to Fox 9, no officers were shot in the exchange.
Police spokesman John Elder said the man who was shot was believed to be a felony suspect. He did not say how many shots were fired or how many officers were involved. The incident was captured on body camera and no officers were injured, Elder said.
According to Elder, the officers involved were members of the Community Response Team (CRT), a specialized unit focused on high-crime areas, drugs and prostitution.
Elder said the officers had all been isolated and are waiting to be interviewed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Investigators are also interviewing eyewitnesses.
According to emergency dispatch audio, an officer radioed after the shooting: “Shots fired, officer needs help. We have two people inside the vehicle, one male is down, we still have one female in the car with her hands up,” the officer said.
“We need perimeter, we need perimeter!” another officer said. Officers cleared Cedar clear for medics and asked for no more squad cars in the parking lot of the gas station, so as not to block entrances for emergency crews. Officers were advised to keep their body cameras turned on by dispatch.
An investigation into the shooting is underway. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is taking over the case.
This is the first fatal police shooting since the May 25 death of George Floyd by four since-fired Minneapolis police officers, which spawned widespread unrest and rioting in the city and across the country.
The shooting comes at a time when city leaders are debating how to change policing and public safety following Floyd’s death after defunding the Minneapolis Police Department which led to a dramatic spike in crime. A majority of City Council members promised to work towards “ending” the Minneapolis Police Department.
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