LOOTING AND DESTRUCTION A
RETURN TO MINNEAPOLIS TONIGHT
AFTER POLICE SAY A CROWD
MISTOOK A SUICIDE FOR AN
OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING.
IT STARTED WITH THE MURDER
INVESTIGATION IN THE HEART OF
DOWNTOWN, THIS AFTERNOON'S BUT
A MAN SHOT AND KILLED ANOTHER
MAN IN PARKING MAP H THAT
TARGET CENTER AND TARGET FIELD.
THE GUNMAN AND WOMAN TOOK OFF.
THEY SPOTTED THE GOVERNMENT A
VIEW HOURS LATER.
WHEN OFFICERS APPROACHED HIM HE
TURNED HIS GUN ON HIMSELF AND
TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.
JEFF WAGONER HAS BEEN FOLLOWING
THE AFTERMATH.
BEGIN, I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF
GROUND TO COVER.
Reporter: LOOKING DOWN TOWARD
BRITT'S PUB AT NICOLETTE MALL
WATCHING PEOPLE WALK OUT OF THE
RESTAURANT RIGHT NOW WITH BAGS
OF WHETHER LIQUOR, I'M NOT
SURE.
I LOOK DOWN BEHIND MAY I SEE A
LARGE POLICE PRESENCE THAT
WHERE POLICE ARE NOT OUR WORLD
LOOTERS ARE ACTIVE AT THE
MOMENT.
LET'S GO BACK IN TIME AND TALK
ABOUT WHERE THIS BEGAN, THE
LATEST INCIDENT HAPPENING THIS
EVENING, THIS VIDEO, PLEASE
SHARED LEADING UP TO THE
SHOOTING FROM A CITY CAMERA
WERE POLICE WERE APPROACHING
THE SUSPECT WHEN HE TURNED THE
GUN ON HIMSELF.
FOR OURS EARLIER, INVESTIGATORS
SAY THE MAN GOT INTO A FIGHT IN
RAMP H NEAR TARGET CENTER AT
TARGET FIELD.
HE SHOT AND KILLED A MAN AND
RAN OFF WITH A WOMAN.
POLICE FOUND HER SOON AFTER.
POLICE DON'T KNOW WHAT LED TO
THE FIGHT.
THE LIVE PICTURE, LARGE POLICE
PRESENCE IN DOWNTOWN
MINNEAPOLIS.
I CAN TELL YOU WHERE POLICE ARE
NOT, IS WHERE DESTRUCTION IS
HAPPENING.
I WAS STANDING ALONG NINTH AND
NICOLET ALONGSIDE SHARAPOVA'S
AND IN MANY DOWN TO USE MANY
DEPUTIES AS WE WALKED BACK TO
THE STUDIOS THREE BLOCKS AWAY
YOU SEE DESTRUCTION HAPPENING
TO THE POINT WHERE NO POLICE
PRESENCE.
CASUALLY TO THE POINT WHERE
LOOTERS SAW US WITH CAMERAS
THEY STARTED THROWING BOTTLES
OF LIQUOR AT US.
POLICE KILLED A MAN, THE RUMOR
SPREADING LIKE WILDFIRE WHICH
IS WHY MPD DID ITS BEST TO
SHARE WHAT OCCURRED WITH US TO
TRY TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT
THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO
QUELL THE CROWDS, COMMUNITY
ACTIVIST GROUPS LIKE MAD DADS,
WE PUSH FOR PEACE, TRYING TO
LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
BUT IT APPEARS THE MESSAGE FELL
ON DEAF EARS OR PEOPLE JUST HAD
THEIR OWN AGENDA THIS EVENING,
ONE CONTINUING TONIGHT AS RAIN
STARTS TO FALL DOWNTOWN.
LET'S TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED WITH THE LOOTING.
PEOPLE DO TRY TO QUELL THIS BUT
I HEARD REPORTS, ENTERPRISE
RENT-A-CAR, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE,
CBS WALGREENS, WASN'T JUST A
LIMITED PART OF LOOTING IT'S
WHEREVER COPS ARE NOT PEOPLE
ARE BREAKING INTO BUILDINGS AND
WALKING OUT WITH MERCHANDISE
WITH NO CONSEQUENCE.
ABOUT 7:30 WE WERE ABOUT TO
WALK TO THE STUDIO ONLY TWO AND
A HALF BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE
TARGET AT NICOLETTE MALL AND WE
SAW A CROWD OF 30 OR SO PEOPLE,
ENERGIZE STARTING TO RUN
TOWARDS THE TARGET ENTRANCE AND
YOU GOT THE SENSE SOMETHING WAS
UP AND WE REALIZED THE CROWD
WAS TALKING ABOUT IT THEY ARE
ABOUT TO LOOT THE TARGET.
POLICE SWOOPED IN WITHIN A
MINUTE BUT A LOT WAS HAPPENING
INSIDE THE STORE.
POLICE WERE DRIVING ON TO THE
SIDEWALK TRYING TO GET THE
CROWD TO DISPERSE.
I BELIEVE I HEARD A SOUND I
HAVE NOT HEARD IN SEVERAL
MONTHS, POLICE USING LESS THAN
LETHAL ROUNDS TO PUSH THE CROWD
AWAY.
NEXT THING YOU KNOW TARGET HAS
PULLED DOWN THE GATES SO NO ONE
IS ALLOWED IN OR OUT AND CROWDS
WERE PUSHED FURTHER DOWN
NICOLETTE MALL AND THE LOOTING
STARTED AT OTHER BUSINESSES
WHETHER NORDSTROM RACK, A LOT
OF SMASHED WINDOWS, WALGREENS
GOT HIT PRETTY BAD.
THEY WALKED DOWN THE NICOLETTE
MALL STARTING AT ABOUT 12
STREET GOING ALL THE WAY
TOWARDS THE RIVER AT 63,
SHATTERED WINDOWS AND
BUSINESSES THAT HAVE HAD
LOOTING OCCUR INSIDE.
I UNDERSTAND THEY REQUESTED
STATE POLICE AND STATE POLICE
CAME IN AND THE MAYOR HELD A
PRESS CONFERENCE I UNDERSTAND
HE IS REQUESTING THE NATIONAL
GUARD.
ARE YOU HEARING ANYTHING ABOUT
THAT?
WE HEARD THAT THE PRESS
CONFERENCE ABOUT 9:15, 45
MINUTES AGO THE GOVERNOR
TWEETED OUT HE WAS BRINGING IN
STATE PATROL.
WE TALKED WITH SHERIFF
HUTCHINSON OF HENNEPIN COUNTY,
THEY ARE REQUESTED TO HELP AND
ASSIST BECAUSE OF THE SHEAR
NUMBER OF PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
I CAN TELL YOU SOMEONE WHO
WORKS DOWNTOWN AND LIVES
DOWNTOWN I HAVE NOT SEEN BACK
THE SIZE ALONG THE NICOLETTE
MALL AND STREETS INTERSECTED IN
QUITE SOME TIME EVEN IN THE
UNREST IN LATE MAY AND EARLY
JUNE ALTHOUGH PROTEST OCCURRED
DOWNTOWN WE KNOW MUCH OF THE
DESTRUCTION WAS HAPPENING IN
SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS AND NORTH
MINNEAPOLIS.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE ALMOST
EXPECTING TO OCCUR IN THE
INITIAL DAYS FOLLOWING GEORGE
FLOYD'S DEATH, DOWNTOWN.
PEOPLE BOARDING UP WINDOWS ALL
OVER THE PLACE.
IT DIDN'T HAPPEN BUT IT IS
HAPPENING NOW HAVING BUSINESSES
TAKEN DOWN BOARDS, NOW WE ARE
SEEING THE DESTRUCTION THREE
MONTHS LATER.
WHEN YOU SAID THEY TRIED TO
ANNOUNCE TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT
THAT THIS WAS A SUICIDE NOT A
POLICE INVOLVED SHOOTING,
NOBODY REALLY PAID ATTENTION
BASICALLY COME THE MESSAGE DID
NOT GET ACROSS TO PEOPLE?
Reporter: I DON'T THINK IT
DID WHETHER BECAUSE PEOPLE
DON'T BELIEVE OFFICERS AT THIS
POINT OR BECAUSE THEY ARE ANGRY
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN KENOSHA,
ANGRY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
EARLIER THIS YEAR AT 38th IN
CHICAGO, JUST REIGNITED ANGER
PEOPLE HAD OR WHAT WE SAW
EARLIER THIS SUMMER PEOPLE
WANTING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THE SITUATION.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THERE ARE THIS
MANY PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, BUT THERE
IS AN UNUSUALLY HIGH AMOUNT OF
TRAFFIC ALONG THE CITY STREETS,
SIMILAR TO A BUSY FRIDAY NIGHT
OR SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN PEOPLE
ARE GOING OUT TO BARS AND
RESTAURANTS THAT IS HOW MUCH
TRAFFIC HAS IS INCREASED ON A
WEDNESDAY NIGHT DOWNTOWN LIKE I
HAVE NOT SEEN THAT DURING THIS
PANDEMIC.
NOT SURE PEOPLE, NOT SURE
THE MESSAGE FROM POLICE IS
GOING TO RESONATE IN THIS TOWN
FOLLOWING WHAT HAPPENED MAY
25th.
I MIGHT BE WRONG BECAUSE I AM
NOT AS HEAVY AS YOU, BUT THE
MESSAGE FROM A LOT OF ACTIVIST
PEOPLE, I DIDN'T SEE A LOT OF
THEIR MESSAGES SAYING THROUGH
WAS A MISTAKE DON'T WORK
DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS.
THE FOLKS OUT WITH GEORGE
FLOYD, RIGHTFULLY SO CONDEMNING
THAT I DIDN'T SEE THE SAME
VOICES TONIGHT, DON'T LOOT TO
DOWNTOWN.
WE TALKED WITH KG WILSON,
STREET ACTIVIST, I TALK WITH
ELEMENTS OF MAD DADS DOWN HERE
WHEN THE SCENE WAS HAPPENING AT
EIGHTH AND NICOLET TRYING TO
CALM THE CROWD, AND IT REACHED
THE POINT IN THE NIGHT WERE
SOME ACTIVIST APPEARED AS
THOUGH THINGS WERE CALMING AND
DISPERSING BUT JUST BECAUSE
CROWDS WERE DISPERSING DOESN'T
MEAN THEY WERE DONE WITH THE
LOOTING AND DESTRUCTION,
STARTED TO SPREAD ACROSS
DIFFERENT PARTS OF DOWNTOWN.
I DON'T THINK THE POLICE
PRESENCE THAT POINT WAS STRONG
ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE FACTIONS
OF PEOPLE.
AGAIN, AS HOURS WENT BY, MORE
PEOPLE STARTED COMING DOWNTOWN.
RIGHT NOW IS ALMOST A RACE WITH
LAW ENFORCEMENT TRYING TO KEEP
UP WITH ALL THE PEOPLE DOWN
HERE, THE ADDITION OF THE
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, STATE
PATROL AND NATIONAL GUARD.
AGAIN I LOOKED DOWN THE STREET
AND I SEE A CONTINGENT OF
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE HOLDING DOWN
THE BLOCK THAT LEADS UP TO
TARGET.
TO AND HAVE BLOCKS AWAY BRITT'S
PUB IN CARIBOU COFFEE, NO
POLICE INCONSISTENT LOOTING
OCCURRING.
GOOD FOR THOSE TWO FOR
TRYING, TONIGHT.
AS JEFF SAID MULTIPLE