One person was shot late Tuesday morning near George Floyd Square in Minneapolis only hours ahead of an outdoor festival marking one year to the day Floyd died while in police custody.
Minneapolis police confirmed they responded to the area about 10 a.m. CT to reports of gunfire. “Information received from callers was that a suspect vehicle was last seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed,” police said.
A gunshot victim appeared at a nearby hospital.
Numerous reporters on scene described between one to two dozen rounds of gunfire. One business window was reportedly shot out, and a shelter in place order was given by police. A BBC reporter said an all-clear order was given after an unknown number of gunmen fired into the square from outside the perimeter.
George Floyd Square was being transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival with food, children’s activities and a long list of musical performers.
Floyd, 46, who was Black, died on Memorial Day 2020 after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for about 9 ½ minutes.
Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.
The site of Floyd’s death, 38th and Chicago, was taken over by activists soon after and remains barricaded to traffic. The “Rise and Remember George Floyd” celebration, including a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m., caps several days of marches, rallies and panel discussions about his death and where America is in confronting racial discrimination.
Many members of the Floyd family were scheduled to be in Washington on Tuesday, in a private meeting with President Joe Biden, who called family members after the Chauvin verdict and pledged to continue fighting for racial justice.
The event was organized by the George Floyd Global Memorial. Angela Harrelson, an aunt of Floyd’s and a member of the board of directors. The organization has stockpiled 3,000 items surrounding Floyd’s death — things like artwork left behind in the square — and will display some of them in a pop-up gallery.
The event was due to start at noon ET, the same time Gov. Tim Walz asked Minnesotans to pause for a moment of silence to honor Floyd. Walz asked that the moment last for 9 minutes, 29 seconds – the length of time that prosecutors say Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck.
Credit: AJC
Walz’s proclamation says Chauvin’s guilty verdict was a step in the right direction, “but our work to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination has not ended.
True justice for George Floyd will come only through real, systemic change to prevent acts like this from happening again — when every member of every community, no matter their race, is safe, valued, and protected.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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