First Minneapolis police death since George Floyd captured on bodycam
- Published
Bodycam footage shows the moments before a black man was killed by a police shooting in Minneapolis
Minneapolis police have released bodycam footage of a fatal shooting by officers, the first death at the hands of police in the US city since that of George Floyd, a black man, in May.
The victim, Dolal Idd, 23, was a suspect in a felony and was stopped by police on Wednesday. He was also black.
Initial witness statements and police say Mr Idd fired first and was shot dead when the officers returned fire.
Minneapolis saw months of unrest after Mr Floyd's death in police custody.
The protests spread across the US amid allegations of police brutality.
Mr Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The footage from Wednesday's fatal shooting, from the bodycam of one of the officers involved, was released late on Thursday.
It shows the officers' cars blocking a white vehicle at a petrol station on the city's south side, not far from where Mr Floyd died.
The police are heard shouting "Stop your car, hands up, hands up!" before shots are fired, including by the officers.
A female passenger in the car with Mr Idd was not hurt, police said, nor were the officers.
Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo said a gun was found at the scene.
"When I viewed the video that everyone else is viewing - and certainly the real-time slow-down version - it appears the individual inside the vehicle fired his weapon at the officers first," he said.
People including Mr Idd's father Bayle Gelle gathered at the scene the following day, prompting fears of renewed protests.
"He was just sitting in the car, and bullets were shot at him, and no reason," he said, quoted by CBS News.
"Why are we here?... Because of colour. He is a black man. We want to know why my sweet son gets shot and killed."
George Floyd's death led to violent protests in the city, including this police station set on fire in May
City mayor Jacob Frey said he was committed to getting the facts and pursuing justice.
"We know a life has been cut short tonight and that trust between communities of colour and law enforcement is fragile," he said in a statement.
"Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency."
Mr Floyd's death in May led to calls for reform or even abolition of the city's police department, but those efforts have stalled.
- Published29 May 2020
