MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Police Department says a woman was killed and another person was injured after being struck by a car during a protest in the city's Uptown neighborhood.
Police say the suspect was pulled from his car by protesters after the 11:39 p.m. Sunday crash and is now in custody and being treated for injuries at a hospital.
Police did not give the extent of his injuries.
The man’s motive was not immediately known, but police said a preliminary investigation indicated that drugs or alcohol may have been a factor.
There have been ongoing protests in Uptown since the shooting June 3 of Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black man and father of three, by members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force.
Authorities have that Smith was wanted on a weapons violation and fired a gun before two deputies shot him while he was inside a parked vehicle. Because the shooting occurred in connection with the U.S. Marshal's North Star Fugitive Task Force, deputies were not wearing body cameras when Smith was killed. The incident was also not recorded on squad car dash cameras.
Family and friends of Smith are demanding transparency in the investigation.
Smith's shooting was just the latest in a string of high-profile fatalities involving police officers in the Twin Cities area.
In April, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Department officials said the now-former officer who fired the fatal shot, Kim Potter, meant to fire a stun gun as Wright attempted to flee, but instead grabbed her firearm. Potter faces a manslaughter charge.
Wright's death came as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was standing trial for murder in connection with George Floyd's death in police custody in May 2020. Chauvin, who was recorded kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, was later convicted of murder and manslaughter. He'll be sentenced later this year.
