Police officers were called around 8 pm local time (2 pm in Lisbon) on Monday to investigate a report of counterfeiting in a business, according to police spokesman John Elder. The agents found the man, believed to be in his 40s, matching the suspect’s description, inside the car.
“He was ordered to get out of the car. After leaving, he physically resisted the cops. The agents managed to handcuff him and noticed that he seemed to be suffering from medical problems, ”continued Elder.
The man, still unidentified, was taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died shortly after, police said. The name of the policeman seen kneeling on his neck has not yet been released.
The Minnesota Department of Criminal Seizure (BCA) joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the investigation.
All images from the cameras used in the police corps were handed over to BCA, which investigates most police shootings and deaths in custody. The agents involved were placed on paid administrative leave, according to the department’s protocol.
Speaking to the Star Tribune newspaper, activist Nekima Levy-Armstrong said that seeing the images shared on social media left her “disgusted” and that this was yet another example of police brutality against African Americans.
“Whatever the man may have done, it shouldn’t have ended in a death sentence. What started as an alleged economic incident ended again in the death of a black man, ”he said.
In recent years, Minneapolis police have been under scrutiny for deadly conflicts with citizens.
A 24-year-old black man, Jamar Clark, was shot in the head and died in 2015 after a confrontation with two white police officers who responded to a reported assault.
A county attorney declined to charge the agents, saying Clark was fighting for one of the agent’s weapons when he was hit.
A white woman, Justine Rusczcyk Damon, died in 2017, when she was hit in the stomach by a police officer who responded to an emergency call. The black agent was convicted of murder and is serving a 12-year sentence.
–
