Police Officers Fatally Shot Armed Suspect After Foot Chase

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Authorities in Minneapolis released body camera video from two police officers in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man, with the footage showing the man shot from behind after a frenetic foot chase and what appeared to be a gun in his hand. Officers Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly were responding to a 911 call of a man firing a gun into the air on the city’s north side June 23. The video released Sunday shows them pulling their cruiser up and a man – Thurman Blevins – seated on a curb near a woman with a child in a stroller. As the officers pull up, one says, “He’s got a gun!” Blevins jumps up and runs, as the officers yell “Stop, stop! Put your hands up! I will (expletive) shoot you!” In a chase that takes less than a minute, Blevins yells back, “I didn’t do nothing bro,” “Please don’t shoot” and “Leave me alone.” An enhanced version of the video has a red circle drawn around Blevins’ hand to highlight what appears to be a gun. After the chase turns down an alley, Blevins is shot, still running. Investigators said both Kelly and Schmidt fired their weapons. An autopsy showed Blevins was shot multiple times. Investigators have said the officers arrived to find Blevins sitting with a woman on a curb before he ran, carrying a black and silver gun. A gun was recovered at the scene.

Some witnesses had disputed Blevins was armed, saying he was carrying a bottle or a cup. He appeared to have something in each hand when he first ran. Sydnee Brown, a cousin of Blevins, told the Star Tribune that the video confirms her belief that he was not a threat to police. “He didn’t deserve to die,” Brown said. “He wasn’t a threat when (the officers) approached him. They didn’t view him as a human being.” The two officers are on paid administrative leave. A protest of Blevins’ death was planned for Tuesday afternoon at the Hennepin County Government Center. Blevins’ death prompted earlier demonstrations and community advocates demanded transparency and urged the swift release of body camera footage. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in June that the body camera video would be released after the Blevins family was consulted and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had finished interviewing key witnesses. Frey said Blevins’ family viewed the video about an hour before it was released publicly. He called Blevins’ death “tragic,” but declined to comment on what the footage showed.

“I know that right now in our city there’s a lot of pain,” he said. “Pain in many cases that I cannot understand.” Blevins’ relatives previously called for both officers to face criminal charges. The city released raw footage from both officers’ cameras, as well as what it called a “stabilized” video that includes footage from both officers produced by the National Center for Audio and Video Forensics in Beverly Hills, California. Officials said that footage had gone through a process to identify pixels from each frame and aligned them to help limit shaking. In Minnesota, investigative data is typically nonpublic until an investigation concludes. But state laws allow for the release of material like body camera footage if it’s deemed a benefit to the public or if it dispels “widespread rumor or unrest.” Blevins’ family and other community members had pushed for the prompt release of the footage, and Frey had pledged to do so as soon as possible. Video from past high-profile police shootings in the state has usually not been released until after long investigations by the BCA. Chief Medaria Arradondo said he could not comment while the investigation is pending.

Schmidt and Kelly have been on leave since the shooting. Kelly has been with the police department since 2013 and Schmidt joined in 2014. Both had served in the military and had been recognized numerous times for their work as police officers, according to redacted personnel files. They also both have had complaints against them: Kelly has had five complaints, all closed without discipline, while Schmidt has had three complaints against him, including two that were closed without discipline and one that remains open. Details about the complaints were not released. Minneapolis has been rocked by two high-profile fatal police shootings in recent years, including the November 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark, 24, and last year’s shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, 40. Officers in the Clark case were not charged, and trial is pending for the officer who shot Damond.

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** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **

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48 thoughts on “Police Officers Fatally Shot Armed Suspect After Foot Chase

  1. And unfortunately 2 years later in the same city, another suspect (this one unarmed) resists arrest and later passes away by a mix of direct overdose & indirectly by a cop using appropriate force to stop the resisting. And I know lots of people are gonna get pissed at me for saying this but I'm gonna say it: Derek should not be in Jail right now for what happened that day.

  2. Que when stop going when 2019 you going when you up stop police are you going estoy chase you officer suspect when you going when you

  3. He was using that woman, her child, and a dog as camouflage. Then he got tired of running and decided to shoot at the pursuing officer(s). Bad decision.

  4. " I know right now the city is in a lot of pain"

    Naw. Only the dipshit who got shot, and that didn't last too long. I'm perfectly fine with it.

  5. the woman, her child, and that dog all seemed to be doing just fine and dandy no sign of aggravation, just the word of a dispatcher which hs many often know can be wrong- kind of like the telephone game or how witnesses get things wrong. Just seeing how all the comments are saying it's extremely justified because he was on probation/parole yet I doubt they found that out until after he was dead or moments before he was dying via being shot in the back. yall appaude a man for shooting someone in the back.

  6. Smh was the second cop necessary he shot at him 3to 4time after the first cop shot 4 times at him then he shot at him 3 more times that’s like 11 bullets send at him

  7. That back cop was like i dont want a new partner for a month while there investigating this shooting so ill shoot some to i want a paid vacation also!! Haaha

  8. Suspect:"Go away pigs"
    Cop: "You know you just hurt my feelings?"
    Suspect: "I'm sorry I didn't mean it."
    Cop: "No!Your mean"
    Other Cops:"Are we just going to ignore the fact that the suspect just got away? "
    Cop: "No one cares he's just a meany!"

  9. How on earth can a person say, "I didn't do nothing bro!" when they've been walking around roads with houses on with a gun drawn and get caught red handed by the police doing so?

  10. What is it with all these black people who do not think they have to follow any laws at all at any time. Did these idiots ever have caring parents that cared enough to teach them any right from wrong or do they just release them to the streets for everyone else to deal with their criminal minded actions.

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