Minneapolis police release bodycam video of fatal police shooting at gas station

Minneapolis officials released bodycam footage Thursday of a police shooting 24 hours earlier that left a man dead at a gas station less than a mile from where George Floyd died in May. Body camera footage appeared to show the man fired first, and police chief Medaria Arradondo said witnesses also said he fired first. 

Police said the man was a suspect in a felony and that he died in an exchange of gunfire, CBS Minnesota reports.

The 27-second clip appeared to show police yelling "police hands up" before shots were fired. Police said the suspect fired before officers discharged their weapons.

Arradondo said earlier Thursday that he had released the video quickly so "our communities to see that, so they can see for themselves" what happened. "Please allow me, the (state) investigators, allow us the time, let us get the evidence, get the facts, so we can process this," he said. 

Police spokesman John Elder said the incident happened about 6:15 p.m. while officers were carrying out a traffic stop with a man suspected of a felony. Police did not provide details of the supposed felony nor release any information about the man, including his race. 

Elder said the man was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. A woman in the car was unhurt, Elder said. He declined to say whether police recovered a gun at the site of the shooting, a Holiday gas station.

Elder said no officers were hurt. He said he didn't know how many officers were at the scene carrying out the traffic stop or how many were involved in the shooting.

The state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is handling an investigation.

Dozens of people gathered at the scene in the hours after the shooting, including some who interrupted Elder and sharply questioned him as he delivered a media briefing.

Arradondo said the traffic stop was carried out by members of a police community response team — longstanding units that respond to things like drug investigations and gun crimes. He said he did not have additional details on why the man was sought.

George Floyd died in May after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on his neck for minutes, even as Floyd pleaded that he couldn't breathe. Floyd's death sparked days of sometimes violent protest that spread around the country.

In Minneapolis, Floyd's death also led to a push for radical change in the police department, long criticized by activists for what they called a brutal culture that resisted change. A push by some City Council members to replace the department with a new public safety unit failed this summer.

Mayor Jacob Frey and Arradondo, who opposed doing away with the department, have offered several policy changes since Floyd's death, including limiting the use of so-called no-knock warrants, revising use-of-force policies and requiring officers to report on their attempts to de-escalate situations.

Frey said in a statement late Wednesday he was working with Arradondo for information on the shooting and pledged to get it out as quickly as possible in coordination with the state investigation.

"Events of this past year have marked some of the darkest days in our city," Frey said. "We know a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile. ... We must all be committed to getting the facts, pursuing justice, and keeping the peace."

The shooting came a day after Frey announced the city had announced new measures on police accountability.

"Today we announced new measures for the MPD to improve the likelihood of disciplinary decisions being upheld," Frey tweeted Tuesday. "Holding officers accountable will always require process, but we cannot allow inefficiencies to increase the odds of a bad cop being put back on the street."

Erin Donaghue contributed reporting.