Minneapolis Police Fatally Shoot Man During South Side Traffic Stop
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis police say a man is dead after he was shot by officers Wednesday night in the city's Powderhorn neighborhood.
It happened at about 6:15 p.m. outside of the Holiday gas station off of East 36th Street and Cedar Avenue. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo says officers pulled over a felony suspect. He said initial witness statements show the suspect fired first at officers, who then fired back and killed him. The suspect's female passenger was not hurt, nor were officers. Sources tell WCCO investigators at the scene also found a gun on the suspect. Arradondo said police body camera footage of the shooting will be released Thursday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation.
On Wednesday morning, Bayle Gelle, the father of the victim, arrived at the scene of the shooting. He identified his son as 23-year-old Dolal Idd.
Gelle demanded justice for his son and is asking that the Holiday gas station release surveillance footage so he can prove his son did not fire at officers first.
He said the BCA came to his home around 3 a.m. to inform him of his son's death.
"There was screaming, it was loud, and there was a bunch of guys - at least 20 or something like that - they were pushing us down and screaming and saying 'don't move.' And I have a small kid," said Gelle.
Gelle said he does not believe his son was wanted for any sort of crime. "He was just sitting in the car," he said. "And bullets were shot at him, and no reason. Why are we here? Because why were they shooting? Because of color. He is a Black man."
"We want to know where my sweet son got shot and killed," he added. "We need justice. We need justice"
Protesters gathered near the scene of the shooting late last night, agitated and reminded of the death of George Floyd seven months ago.
"We heard that the police had killed a man. It's kind of unclear as to what the circumstances were, but yeah, after talking to all of our neighbors and stuff, this neighborhood is exhausted, it's at breaking point," said Cameron, who lives in the neighborhood.
Watch Chief Arradondo's Full Press Conference
Officers with the Minneapolis and Metro Transit police departments were on hand to hold the scene as the BCA collected evidence. Arradondo urged people gathering at the scene late Wednesday night to leave in order to protect evidence in the area, and allow officers and investigators to do their work. He said he will not allow destructive, civil unrest to occur.
Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement late Wednesday evening:
Events of this past year have marked some of the darkest days in our city. We know a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile. Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency. I am working closely with Chief Arradondo to gather all the facts surrounding what happened tonight and will be relaying that information, in coordination with State partners, to community as quickly as possible. We must all be committed to getting the facts, pursuing justice, and keeping the peace.
The shooting scene is less than a mile from where George Floyd died while being detained by now-former Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.
