The announcement came after two fatal shootings on Wednesday that sparked heavy traffic in the downtown area and resulted in damage to property and potential shoplifters, authorities said.
The first came Wednesday afternoon, when one man shot another man. Later that evening, the suspected shooter shot himself dead as the police approached him. His suicide prompted false rumors that officials had killed him, prompting police to say “important public safety concerns.”
The unrest prompted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to declare a state of emergency in the city. He also deployed the National Guard and mobilized at least 150 state troops.
In addition, Frey set a night clock that ended Thursday at 6 p.m.
“We recognize that none of this is happening in a vacuum,” Frey said Thursday during a news conference. “And it is fair to escape that pain and anguish in the form of peaceful protest. But what happened yesterday was neither peace nor was it a form of protest that propels us forward.”
About 50 people were arrested for rioting and burglary – and two officers were injured – on Wednesday night, Minneapolis Police Department Medaria Arradondo said at a briefing on Thursday.
“The pain people feel is real,” Walz said Wednesday at a news conference.
“The situation that re-emerged and reminds us all to see those eight-and-a-half minutes of George Floyd’s death, those are real,” Walz said. “Those are real emotions that are there. But to come together and solve those problems, they will not be caught with violence or looting from Target.”
Fatal shootings lead to unrest
Police responded to a shooting in the downtown area at 2:10 a.m. Wednesday after a man shot another man, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder told CNN. The suspected shooter and a woman who accompanied him fled the scene, and officers found the victim dead when they arrived, Elder said.
Police later found the woman and found the suspect around 6pm through a downtown mall. When officers approached him, he shot and killed himself, according to Elder.
Police are still investigating what role the woman had, as one, and what happened between the two shootings, Elder said.
Minneapolis police on Wednesday released a video of the man’s suicide to dispel rumors that officers killed him, the department said on Twitter. The department later removed it “because of the graphic nature and out of respect for the individual, his family and the community,” it said in a tweet.
The two shootings drew large crowds to the area around the crime scene. Images and videos posted on social media showed what damage and looting appeared in nearby stores.
An initial assessment of the downtown area found outside damage to windows and potential shoplifters, Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo of Minneapolis said at a news conference. He said the downtown crowd varied in number, but grew “close to 500 or so” people.
“Minneapolis, it’s time to heal,” Walz said in a statement. “We need to rebuild and repair. Dangerous, illegal behavior is not tolerated.”
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