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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNo charges for officers who shot Blevins (Minneapolis)
http://www.startribune.com/blevins-shot-at-officers-minneapolis-police-union-chief-says/489514381/No charges will be filed against two Minneapolis police officers who fatally shot an armed Thurman Blevins during a foot chase last month in a residential neighborhood, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Monday.
Witness testimony, body camera video and forensic testing all proved that Blevins had a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun in his hand and refused multiple commands to drop the gun during the foot chase that ended in his death on June 23, Freeman said in a statement.
"When Mr. Blevins fled from the officers with a loaded handgun, refused to follow their commands for him to stop and show his hands and then took the gun out of his pocket and turned toward the officers, Mr. Blevins represented a danger to the lives of Officer Schmidt and Officer Kelly," the statement quoted Freeman as saying. "Their decision to use deadly force against Mr. Blevins under those circumstances was authorized [under the law]."
The officers fired 14 shots from their weapons, four of which struck Blevins, Freeman said.
Witness testimony, body camera video and forensic testing all proved that Blevins had a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun in his hand and refused multiple commands to drop the gun during the foot chase that ended in his death on June 23, Freeman said in a statement.
"When Mr. Blevins fled from the officers with a loaded handgun, refused to follow their commands for him to stop and show his hands and then took the gun out of his pocket and turned toward the officers, Mr. Blevins represented a danger to the lives of Officer Schmidt and Officer Kelly," the statement quoted Freeman as saying. "Their decision to use deadly force against Mr. Blevins under those circumstances was authorized [under the law]."
The officers fired 14 shots from their weapons, four of which struck Blevins, Freeman said.
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No charges for officers who shot Blevins (Minneapolis) (Original Post)
WhiskeyGrinder
Jul 2018
OP
You can see in the video as he was running he has an object (that looks like a gun),
LisaL
Jul 2018
#3
One officer said he was "pretty sure" Blevins had a gun, the other didn't report being fired at.
WhiskeyGrinder
Jul 2018
#6
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)1. Kick.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)2. His last words were "please don't shoot me."
LisaL
(44,962 posts)3. You can see in the video as he was running he has an object (that looks like a gun),
and apparently was a gun, pointing it at the cops chasing him.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)4. ACLU calls the bodycam footage "disturbing, terrifying and appalling."
LisaL
(44,962 posts)5. They should look at the close up of the video.
"The raw body-camera video does not clearly show this. However, the National Center for Audio and Video Forensics released an enhanced version of the video in which they circle an object that officials say is a gun. A police union official also said the officers fired only after Blevins fired at them."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/30/us/minneapolis-police-thurman-blevins-shooting/index.html
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)6. One officer said he was "pretty sure" Blevins had a gun, the other didn't report being fired at.
He had a gun and fired it, no doubt. The situation certainly accelerated very, very quickly.
LisaL
(44,962 posts)7. You can see at the enhanced video, it definetely looks like a gun that he was pointing back at the
cops. So looks like this guy was running away from the cops, telling them not to shoot him, yet he was apparently armed, and reportedly even fired his gun at them.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)8. Yes, so you said.