Authorities Kill Suspect Who Fired at Officers in Uptown Minneapolis Parking Ramp
Fremont Ave. S. & W. Lake St. after an officer-involved shooting Thursday, Jun 3, 2021. PHOTO BY MN CRIME
A suspect was fatally shot by authorities at the top of a parking ramp near Fremont Ave. S. & W. Lake St. on Thursday afternoon.
The man—who was confirmed to have died at the scene—was being pursued by task force officers before multiple gunshots were fired on the top floor of the parking ramp near W. Lake Street and Fremont Ave. S., near the former Calhoun Square location.
UPDATE: BCA: No Video Available After Police Killing of Armed Suspect in Uptown Minneapolis
The U.S. Marshals Service said that the man was suspected of being a felon in possession of a gun and—while in a parked car—"failed to comply and produced a handgun, resulting in task force members firing upon the subject," the agency said in its statement.
The warrant for the man's arrest was issued in Minnesota, the Star Tribune reported. It’s unclear if the warrant had any relation to a law enforcement scanner report that the man was a suspect in a murder, possibly in another state, the newspaper reported.
Medics declared the man dead at the scene. A woman in the suspect's car was injured by shattered glass and transported to the hospital.
Fremont Ave. S. & W. Lake St. after an officer-involved shooting Thursday, Jun 3, 2021. PHOTO BY MN CRIME
A still image shared by KARE-TV showed the top floor of the parking ramp where the shooting took place. An undercover law enforcement vehicle can be seen directly behind a silver SUV-style vehicle with its back window shattered out. A white tent was erected nearby to shield part of the scene from view.
By 3:15 p.m., a small crowd had gathering to watch as officers locked down the area and continued to process the scene. The Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that its officers were not involved in the incident. Agents with the ATF were also at the scene, but a spokesperson confirmed they were also not involved and were supporting other agencies.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said that a team was en route to help investigate the shooting. BCA confirmed that an officer at the scene fired their weapon but did not detail which agency that officer works for or if more than one officer fired. It is standard procedure for the BCA to investigate an officer-involved shooting.
Unrest followed overnight in the Uptown neighborhood, with several businesses being vandalized or looted and a few small fires being set. There were no widespread reports of major damage, and several arrests were made. In two unrelated incidents, a squad car was rammed and rocks were thrown at law enforcement vehicles, but it’s unclear if there were injuries and the number of arrests made was not available mid-morning Friday.
Reported vandalism or looting in the Uptown area Thursday and overnight into Friday:
• Walgreens, 2650 Hennepin Ave., the pharmacy was reportedly looted
• Speedway, 2501 Hennepin Ave.
• Speedway, 801 W. Lake St.
• Target, 1300 W. Lake St.
• Enterprise Car Rental, 236 W. Lake St.
• CVS Pharmacy, 1010 W. Lake St., window damage
• T-Mobile, 1221 W. Lake St., looting, property damage
• Hennepin-Lake Liquor, 1200 W. Lake St.
• Hums Liquor, 2126 Lyndale Ave. S.
• Fit 1st Running, 2327 Hennepin Ave.
• Tires Plus, 1103 W. Lake St., window damage
• Groups breaking into parked cars, several locations
UPDATE: Family and friends have identified the man who was killed as Winston Smith. An initial report from the BCA said Smith fired a gun from inside his vehicle, that a gun was recovered at the scene and several spent shell casings were found inside the vehicle. A Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy and a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy, both part of the task force at the top of parking ramp off W. Lake St., both fired their weapons at Smith. Those officers have not yet been identified.
UPDATE: BCA: No Video Available After Police Killing of Armed Suspect in Uptown Minneapolis
