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Man sentenced to 10 years for starting fire inside Target headquarters during riot

Morning headlines from Jan. 31, 2024
Morning headlines from Jan. 31, 2024 02:42

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for starting a fire inside Target headquarters during a riot in August 2020, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Wednesday.

Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams, 37, was convicted on one count of arson for the incident in October last year.

The fire occurred on Aug. 26, 2020, during unrest that began following a false rumor that Minneapolis police fatally shot a Black man suspected of murder on Nicollet Mall. The victim, in reality, had shot himself as police were closing in on him.

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Police on Nicollet Mall during rioting on Aug. 26, 2020 WCCO

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Williams and two others broke into the Target headquarters and attempted to set fire both inside and outside the building, according to court documents.

Following Williams' prison sentence, he is ordered to three years of supervised release.

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