GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>> WE HEARD EARLIER FROM ALI
VELSHI THAT THE CROWD WAS MOVING
FROM THE FIFTH PRECINCT DOWN TO
GATHER ELSEWHERE.
AND NOW WE ARE HEARING THAT TEAR GAS HAS BEEN FIRED.
GAS HAS BEEN FIRED.
LET’S LISTEN IN FOR A SECOND.
>> NOBODY WAS DOING ANYTHING.
THEY PULLED IN, THEY OPENED
FIRE.
THEY’RE AIMING THEIR FIRE NOW,
THEY’RE WORKING TOWARD US.
>> STEP BACK, GET BACK, GET
BACK.
YOU’RE HIT, HE’S HIT.
STEP BACK.
I GOT IT, I GOT IT, I GOT IT.
WE GOT GAS HERE.
BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK
UP.
THEY ARE NOW MOVING TOWARD US.
>> THEY’RE SHOOTING, GUYS.
PUT YOUR HELMETS ON.
>> MIGUEL, STAY WITH ME.
WE GOT GAS.
CONTINUING TO FIRE AT US.
THERE WE GO, HERE’S A GAS
CANISTER.
THERE HAS BEEN NO PROVOCATION
JOSHUA.
THERE WAS NOTHING THAT HAPPENED
WHATSOEVER, THE POLICE PULLED
INTO THIS INTERSECTION
UNPROVOKED RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE
OF THE CROWD, SPLIT THE CROWD,
STARTED FIRING IN BOTH
DIRECTIONS.
THEY NOW HAVE FIRED AT US.
IS ANYONE HERE YET.
THE GENTLEMAN NEXT TO US GOT
HIT.
AND THAT IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
THIS IS THE FIRST INTERACTION WE
HAVE SEEN TONIGHT WITH THE
POLICE.
THOSE ARE POLICE WITH NATIONAL
GUARD, THEY CONTINUE TO MOVE.
>> GUYS, PUT YOUR MASKS ON, THE
GAS IS COMING IN NOW.
AND THAT’S WHAT THE SITUATION
IS.
THEY HAVE -- UNCLEAR WHAT THEIR
INTENTIONS ARE.
WHETHER THEY’RE STANDING OR
MOVING IN.
>> I’M GOING TO SHOOT AT THIS
GUY.
>> THEY’RE GOING TO SHOOT.
>> WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO SHOOT?
>> THEY’RE GOING TO SHOOT YOU?
>> NO.
>> DO WE NEED TO COME BACK TO
YOU IN A MINUTE.
LET ME GIVE YOU A SECOND TO
CATCH YOUR BREATH.
YOU DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
LET ME TALK THROUGH WHAT WE’RE
LOOKING AT NOW.
BASED ON WHERE THEY ARE NOW, THE
CROWD ALI VELSHI WAS WITH THEY
LOOK LIKE THEY’RE NEAR THE
AVENUE OF FRANKLIN AND NICKLET.
THEY WILL RUN INTO NIKKO LET
MALL, WHICH IS DOWNTOWN
MINNEAPOLIS, PRESUMABLY, THE
PROTEST CROWD WILL BE HEADING
BACK THERE.
IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THOSE
PICTURES IN A SECOND.
LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF
THE PEOPLE WE SAW ON THAT LINE.
AMONG THE FOLKS YOU SAW FIRING
TEAR GAS CANISTERS, SOME OF THEM
IN BLACK UNIFORMS.
THOSE ARE MINNESOTA STATE
PATROL.
THE ONES IN THE DRAB UNIFORMS,
THOSE ARE MINNESOTA NATIONAL
GUARD.
MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD HAS
BEEN TASKED WITH BACKING UP LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
SO THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE
MAKING ARRESTS, PER SAY.
THEIR JOB IS TO BE A FORCE
MULTIPLIER FOR THE MISSION THAT
THE MINNESOTA STATE PATROL HAS.
INITIALLY THE NATIONAL GUARDS
MISSION WAS TO GUARD GOVERNMENT
BUILDINGS LIKE THE STATE
CAPITOL, THE BUREAU OF CRIMINAL
APPREHENSION, THE RAMSEY COUNTY
PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING.
ST. PAUL IS IN RAMSEY COUNTY.
AND TO ASSIST THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT SO FIRE TRUCKS COULD
GET IN AND PUT OUT THE FIRES WE
SAW YESTERDAY.
MIDNIGHT YESTERDAY, TIM WALL
RETASKED THE MINNESOTA NATIONAL
GUARD TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND THIS IS PART OF THAT
RETASKING.
IT IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES THAT
LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN CALLED
OUT IN THE UNITED STATES.
CERTAINLY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OR
AT LEAST THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, GOVERNOR
WALL SAYS HE HAD BEEN IN
CONVERSATION WITH THE DEFENSE
SECRETARY.
AND THAT THE DEFENSE SECRETARY
WAS AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON.
THE NATIONAL GUARDSMEN USED IN
VARIOUS WAYS, SOMETIMES TO
SUPPORT CIVIL RIGHTS PROTESTERS
OR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTEGRATING
SEGREGATED SCHOOLS.
AND SOMETIMES TO DO THINGS LIKE
THIS.
AGAIN, YOU’RE LOOKING AT LIVE
PICTURES FROM MINNEAPOLIS.
THIS LOOKS LIKE THE GROUP HAD
BEEN MOVING NORTH FROM THE FIFTH
POLICE PRECINCT UP NICOLETTE
AVENUE.
MAKING THEIR WAY IN THE
DIRECTION OF DOWNTOWN ALI, ARE
YOU ALL RIGHT?
>> I GOT YOU, I GOT YOU.
YEAH, YOU CAN COME TO ME.
>> ARE YOU OKAY?
>> YEAH, YOU CAN COME TO ME.
>> WHAT’S HAPPENING.
US THROUGH WHAT’S GOING ON.
>> JOSHUA, I HAVE YOU BACK HERE.
>> WE GOT HIT WITH TEER GAS, IT WAS THAT FAST.
WAS THAT FAST.
WE HAVE HAD A GOOD SENSE OF WHEN
IT’S GOING TO COME.
THERE WAS NO WARNING WHATSOEVER.
THEY PULLED INTO THE STATION,
JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR AND THEY
JUST CAME IN AND STARTED
SHOOTING.
WE WERE VERY CLOSE, WE WEREN’T
ANYWHERE NEAR THE FRONT OF THE
CROWD, WE WERE MAINTAINING
SECURITY PROTOCOL, WE WERE
PROBABLY IN THE LAST THIRD OF
THE CROWD.
AND THEY INTERCEPTED THE CROWD,
THEY BROKE THE CROWD.
WHEN PUT US VERY CLOSE TO THE
POLICE AND THEY FIRED ON US.
THERE WERE FLASH BANGS THAT CAME
OUT.
THEY ACTIVELY AIMED THEIR GUNS
AT PEOPLE.
I WILL PUT MY CAREER ON THIS.
THERE WAS NOTHING AT ANY STAGE
IN THE PROTEST THAT WAS NOT --
>> I WILL TELL YOU THIS, I’VE
BEEN HERE FOR THREE DAYS, I HAVE
NOT SEEN THIS LEVEL OF
AGGRESSION AT ALL.
WE HAVE SIRENS NOW, THEY ARE
MOVING NOW, THEY ARE MOVING
CLOSER IT APPEARS.
THEY HAVE SPLIT THE CROWD.
HALF OF THE MARCH WAS IN FRONT
AND HAS MOVED FORWARD.
YOU ARE NOW HEARING SIRENS,
THERE ARE PEOPLE MOVING IN, I’M
NOT SURE.
IS THAT IS THE SITUATION NOW.
WHEN ASKED MIGUEL TO TAKE A
QUICK SPIN AROUND WE HAVE
PROTESTERS NOW MOVING CLOSER.
THE POLICE CONTINUE TO FIRE.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE’S
CHANTING DO IT, DO IT.
LIKE THEY’RE DARING THE STATE
TROOPERS TO FIRE ON THEM AGAIN?
>> GUYS, I GOT HIT.
HOLD ON.