Minneapolis police fatally shoot man they say had a gun

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis police shot and killed a man Wednesday who they say was wielding a handgun and threatening people.

Authorities received an evening call about a man in south Minneapolis with a gun who was “threatening folks” and “not acting normally,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters after the shooting. Officers were dispatched to the area and when they encountered the man, he took off on foot, police said.

Multiple officers gave chase before a confrontation ensued, O’Hara said. The man was instructed to drop his gun multiple times before officers fired, he said.

“All the information I have available to me, I have no reason to think this is anything other than a justifiable and lawful use of force by police officers,” O’Hara said.

The man was brought to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police did not immediately identify him.

The episode marked the first fatal law enforcement shooting in Minneapolis since Officer Jamal Mitchell was shot and killed May 30 in what police have described as an ambush. The man who shot Mitchell was later killed by police.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state agency that examines most police shootings, said it is investigating Wednesday’s shooting.

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