A suspected looter was shot dead by a pawn shop owner as the city of Minneapolis was rocked by an evening of anarchy as riots broke following the police killing of George Floyd.
At a midnight press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief John Elder confirmed that a man, suspected of looting by the store owner, was shot dead outside of the Cadillac Pawn Shop and Jewelry on East Lake Street near Bloomington Avenue, reported Market Watch.
According to Metro, a man is in custody following the shooting that took place around 9:25 p.m. last night as police entertain a few different scenarios when attempting to recreate the events leading up to the fatal incident.
EMTs reached the wounded man and attempted to perform CPR before he was pronounced dead at hospital.
Elder nodded that there were no other known serious injuries or fatalities. He blasted the rioters saying: “If people are there to truly honor the man and his family this isn’t how you do it and it’s so disrespectful and it’s heartbreaking. People are utilizing this as a purpose just to make bad decisions.”
Several images of last night’s riots have floated around social media painting a chaotic picture of last night’s protest.
A disabled woman was beaten after rioters reportedly saw her wield a sharp object. She was punched, robbed, maced, and had a fire extinguisher sprayed in her face.
Many stores were looted and burned down as rioters demonstrated against the police killing of a man arrested on suspicion of fraud. The suspect, George Floyd, was pinned down by an officer kneeling on his neck for eight minutes, before passing away.
Floyd had warned the officer that he could not breathe during the brutal arrest. Four police officers were sacked following the shocking footage of the botched arrest.
Despite the riots stealing the limelight, not all protests were conceived as riots while some protesters peacefully assembled outside of the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct.
