MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minneapolis police have recovered a stolen gun they believe is linked to a man shot to death by police in a south Minneapolis home in May, the police department said Wednesday.
The 9 mm handgun was found stuffed in a sock and apparently hidden in a home a few blocks from where Terrance Franklin was killed. A police statement said the sock was found to have Franklin’s DNA on it.
The gun was reported stolen in a burglary the day before Franklin was killed.
Franklin was being pursued by police in connection with a separate burglary when he broke into a home in the Uptown neighborhood on May 10. A struggle ensued in the basement, and police say Franklin grabbed a police weapon and shot and wounded two officers before being shot 10 times by police. He died at the scene. A grand jury later cleared Minneapolis police in Franklin’s death.
In October, a Minneapolis homeowner found the sock containing the handgun, wedged between his home’s foundation and back porch. Police said the serial number on the gun matches the gun stolen on May 9.
Minneapolis police swabbed the gun, magazine and live cartridges for possible DNA evidence and latent fingerprints. On Tuesday, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension told the Minneapolis Police Department that Franklin’s DNA profile was found on the sock.
Deputy Police Chief Kris Arneson told reporters the discovery of the gun had no bearing on the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, but said the police department is following up on its commitment to release any new information on the case to the public.
But Michael Padden, an attorney for the Franklin family, told Minnesota Public Radio News (https://bit.ly/MOj3dE ) the information on the gun is irrelevant and wouldn’t be admissible in court.
“This police department from the beginning has been trying to disparage this young man and disparage his family,” Padden said.
He said the family will file a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis, Police Chief Janee Harteau and the officers involved in the next 30 days.
___
Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, https://www.mprnews.org
Please read our comment policy before commenting.