Protesters gather in Minneapolis after fatal officer-involved shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Hundreds of protesters took to the streets surrounding the Minneapolis Police Department’s Fourth Precinct headquarters Sunday, and another group even stopped the annual Twin Cities Pride Parade for several minutes to decry the police shooting of a north Minneapolis man community members identified as Thurman Blevins Saturday evening. 

A number of neighborhood members, witnesses and community activists are questioning the official version of events released by the police department, which holds that Blevins had been firing a gun into the air and at the ground near Bryant and 48th Avenue North before officers arrived and a foot chase ensued. 

Earlier in the day Mayor Jacob Frey said he would no longer be attending the Pride Parade in order to properly attend to the aftermath of Saturday evening, calling the shooting a “tragedy” whether it is ultimately deemed justified or not.

“At the end of the day, we know that no matter what transpired in the moments leading up to the shooting, we know with certainty that the outcome is a tragedy,” Frey said in a statement. “To everyone hurting tonight:  I’m sorry.” 

Despite the fact that Sunday morning's protest at the Pride Parade was preplanned, many said the event took on renewed importance in light of the night's events.

According to authorities, police received a call at 5:26 p.m. Saturday from an anonymous caller who reported a man walking around with a gun in the area of the 4700 block of Bryant Avenue North. The caller "provided very detailed information about the appearance and descriptions."

Police received a second call of a person walking and firing a silver 9mm handgun into the air and subsequently into the ground. Officers arrived and a footchase ensued, ending in shots fired at the suspect.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.