1 year since Third Precinct building burned in Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct burns during a riot following the death of George Floyd in May 2020. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - One year after the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct building was set on fire and looted, the site remains fenced off and boarded up.
Thousands of protesters amassed outside MPD's Third Precinct on May 28, 2020, three days after George Floyd died under the knee of then-officer Derek Chauvin.
The night before rioters had set the nearby AutoZone ablaze. As the crowd gathered again, Minneapolis police officers were instructed that morning to empty their desks and lockers of weapons, body cameras and intelligence briefs.
TIMELINE: The Fall of the Third Precinct
By nightfall, the crowd of an estimated 2,000 people outside the building had turned violent. Looting broke out at nearby stores. Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave the order for police to evacuate the Third Precinct. By 9:53 p.m. rioters were inside the precinct.
"Death to one of our officers or the general public, that was not a consequence I could have on my watch," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told FOX 9.
According to the District of Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office only four people have been indicted in connection to the arson of the building. So far, three of them have been sentenced, which includes paying $12 million in restitution.
MORE: Mayor Frey recounts the Fall of the Third Precinct
Since the building was damaged, the Third Precinct has been operating downtown--first out of the Minneapolis Convention Center and as of about three months ago the City of Lakes building. Lease negotiations for a temporary Third Precinct site closer to the original building fell through in September.
While fully functional, Minneapolis Police Spokesman John Elder says the police department wants to eventually move back into the geographical boundaries to better serve the Third Precinct.