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Minneapolis police fatally shoot man during traffic stop

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MINNEAPOLIS — A man was fatally shot by Minneapolis police during a traffic stop Wednesday night, authorities said.

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According to Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder, officers conducted the traffic stop around 6:15 p.m. CT near a gas station in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis, KARE-TV reported.

The shooting happened less than a mile from the street corner where George Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, according to WCCO. Floyd’s death sparked days of protest nationwide. The four officers involved in Floyd’s death were fired and charged in his death. They are scheduled for trial in March, according to The Associated Press.

The man shot in Wednesday’s incident was pronounced dead at the scene, KSTP reported. An adult female passenger at the scene was not injured, the television station reported.

Elder told reporters Wednesday night that the man who was shot was believed to be a felony suspect. Elder did not say how many shots were fired or how many officers were involved, the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis reported. Elder added that the traffic stop was captured on a body camera and that no officers were injured.

The officers involved were members of the Community Response Team, a specialized unit that focuses on high-crime areas, the newspaper reported.

“Those officers have all been isolated and they’re waiting to be interviewed” by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Elder told reporters.

KARE and WCCO, each citing “sources close to the investigation,” said the man fired at officers first. The officers then returned fire and struck him.

A crowd of about 50 people gathered at the scene about an hour after the shooting, the Star-Tribune reported. Some members of the crowd began shouting at police officers and demanding more information, the television station reported.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the victim and his cause of death at a later time, KSTP reported.

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