The gunfire erupted after protesters approached a group of white men who had been making statements about white supremacy online and showing up at the protests to harass activists and asked them to remove their ski masks.
— |||| || ||| | |||| | (@micamaryjane) November 24, 2015
The shooting victims were all black men aged 19-43, and all are currently in stable condition.
A 23-year-old male was arrested on Tuesday morning in relation to the shooting. The Star Tribune has reported that police are weighing whether to charge it as a hate crime. A second arrest was made shortly after
“Like all Minnesotans, I was horrified to learn about the shooting of five people outside the Fourth Precinct last night. I understand that a search for the shooters is currently underway, and I join residents of the North Side in demanding that they be brought to justice. In the meantime, my thoughts are with Jamar Clark’s family and the injured,” Senator Al Franken said of the shooting in a statement.
Witnesses have stated that Clark was handcuffed when he was shot “execution style,” while police have maintained that he was not. The protests have been to demand the release of security footage from the shooting, as the officers involved were not wearing body cameras.
“White supremacists attacked the #4thPrecinctShutDown in an act of domestic terrorism,” Black Lives Matter Minneapolis wrote on Facebook. “We need you here tomorrow. We won't be intimidated.”
“Thank you to the community for the incredible support you have shown for our family in this difficult time,” Sutton wrote in a statement released on Tuesday morning. “We appreciate Black Lives Matter for holding it down and keeping the protests peaceful. But in light of tonight’s shootings, the family feels out of imminent concern for the safety of the occupiers, we must get the occupation of the 4th precinct ended and onto the next step,” Eddie Sutton, Clark’s brother, wrote in a statement early Tuesday morning.
One of the suspected shooters remained at large on Tuesday afternoon.
