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The killing of Winston Smith

Sheriff’s deputies on a U.S. Marshals Service task force fatally shot Winston Smith June 3 in an Uptown Minneapolis parking ramp while trying to arrest him on an outstanding firearms warrant.

So far authorities have said little beyond brief written statements, and no body camera video was recorded. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the shooting, said it will not release the officers’ names because they were working undercover.

On June 13, Deona Erickson died after a man drove his SUV at high speed into a crowd of protesters that had gathered on Lake Street.

New video showing Winston Smith firing a gun said to emerge

New video showing Winston Smith firing a gun said to emerge

More than two years after sheriff’s deputies fatally shot Winston Smith in Minneapolis, cell phone video of the incident has surfaced. The footage has not been made public, but sources tell MPR News that it shows Smith pointing a gun at officers and exchanging gunfire with them.
by Matt Sepic

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Family, friends demand answers on anniversary of police killing Winston Smith in Mpls

Family, friends demand answers on anniversary of police killing Winston Smith in Mpls

Dozens of community members showed up at Powderhorn Recreation Center in south Minneapolis on Friday afternoon to support 32-year-old Smith’s family, who still have little in the way of details about what transpired when police killed him a year ago. 
by Grace Birnstengel

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Winston Smith killing: Prosecutor says deadly force justified, no charges

Winston Smith killing: Prosecutor says deadly force justified, no charges

The Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office had been reviewing the case of Smith’s killing in June when a task force including U.S. Marshals tried to arrest Smith for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
by MPR News Staff

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Passenger: Officers didn't ID selves in fatal Winston Smith shooting

Passenger: Officers didn't ID selves in fatal Winston Smith shooting

An attorney for Norhan Askar said Thursday that law enforcement officers were not in uniform and did not identify themselves as authorities when they surrounded Winston Smith's SUV with their guns drawn.
by The Associated Press

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Man faces murder, assault charges in death of Winston Smith protester

Man faces murder, assault charges in death of Winston Smith protester

Nicholas Kraus, 35, allegedly crashed a Jeep SUV into a car that was parked across the traffic lanes to protect people protesting the police killing of Winston Smith. The force of the collision pushed the car into Deona Erickson and others nearby. Erickson was killed.
by Matt Sepic

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Protesters continue barricading Lake Street to remember 2 killed

Protesters continue barricading Lake Street to remember 2 killed

Midday Tuesday, Minneapolis police and public works crews pulled down makeshift barricades that demonstrators had set up to protect a memorial where Deona Erickson was killed Sunday night. People then put wooden pallets and a dumpster in the street. Police moved in hours later to detain some people and reopen Lake Street.
by Matt Sepic

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A beleaguered Minneapolis prepares to pick its leader

A beleaguered Minneapolis prepares to pick its leader

After a year of high-profile police killings, mass protests and a surge in gun violence and civil unrest, Minneapolis residents are getting ready to elect a new mayor. Seven mayoral candidates, including incumbent Jacob Frey, are vying for this week’s DFL endorsement. 
by Jon Collins

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