MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on the release of body-camera video in the June fatal shooting of a black man by Minneapolis police (all times local):
2:50 p.m.
Two Minneapolis police officers who fatally shot an armed black man last month said they feared for their lives during a foot chase.
Officers Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly told state investigators they shot 31-year-old Thurman Blevins after seeing a gun clear his pocket, according to interview transcripts released Monday.
Kelly told investigators that he saw Blevins point the gun at him moments before he and Schmidt fired.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recovered a shell casing from Blevins’ gun near his body.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Monday the officers wouldn’t be charged. He said Blevins’ disregard for police instructions, fleeing and pointing a gun at officers justified their actions.
___
11:30 a.m.
A Minnesota prosecutor says he won’t charge two police officers in the fatal shooting of a black man last month.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says 31-year-old Thurman Blevins fled from officers with a loaded handgun and refused to follow commands to stop and show his hands. Freeman said Blevins turned toward the officers with the gun in his hand before he was shot on June 23.
Freeman says there’s no basis for criminal charges against the officers. He says Blevins was a danger to them and to the community.
The officers were responding to a 911 call of a man firing a gun into the air and into the ground on the city’s north side.
Freeman made his announcement via news release after he was shouted down by community members at a news conference.
___
11 a.m.
A Minnesota prosecutor’s news conference to announce a charging decision in the fatal shooting of a black man by police has ended in disarray.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was shouted down by community members as he prepared to detail his decision in the death of 31-year-old Thurman Blevins.
Blevins was shot June 23 by two Minneapolis police officers who were responding to a 911 call about a man with a gun firing into the air and the ground.
Body-camera video released Sunday night showed Blevins fleeing from police while holding a gun. He was shot after a brief foot chase.
The police union head said earlier Monday that the video proved the officers acted reasonably.
___
10:30 a.m.
The head of the Minneapolis police union says body-camera video proves two officers were justified in using deadly force in the fatal shooting of a black man.
Lt. Bob Kroll says 31-year-old Thurman Blevins gave officers no other option when he ran from them June 23. Kroll says Blevins pointed the gun at the officers and fired a shot.
Kroll says the officers were within their rights to fire at Blevins.
The officers were responding to a 911 call of a man firing a gun into the air and into the ground.
The shooting is being investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
___
12 a.m.
Officials in Minneapolis have released body camera video from two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old black man.
The city released the footage Sunday night. It shows Officers Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt chasing Thurman Blevins on foot June 23. Blevins was shot after the pursuit turned down an alley.
Both officers fired their weapons, and a handgun appears on the ground next to Blevins after he’s shot. Kelly and Schmidt are on paid administrative leave.
Sydnee Brown, a cousin of Blevins, told the Star Tribune that the video confirms her belief that he was not a threat to the officers. She added that they “didn’t view him as a human being.”
The shooting is being investigated by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.