MINNEAPOLIS (NewsNation) — The Governor of Minnesota has deployed the state’s National Guard to respond to “civil unrest.”
Earlier in the evening, Gov. Tim Walz called the state patrol to Minneapolis after reports of crowds gathering in downtown.
Unrest, including violence and store looting, broke out downtown following what authorities said was misinformation about the suicide death of a Black homicide suspect.
In a tweet, Gov. Tim Walz said: “Minneapolis, it’s time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. The State Patrol is headed to Minneapolis to help restore order. I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace.”
“Soldiers from our military police unit are currently reporting in and preparing to depart to assist local authorities,” the Minnesota National Guard said in a Tweet shortly after 11:30 p.m. (CT).
A curfew was also put into effect.
“What we’re calling for right now is peace,” Mayor Jacob Frey said. “What we’re calling for right now is for people to return to their homes.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo dispelled rumors on social media about the death of an unidentified Black man suspected in a Wednesday afternoon homicide, who later fatally shot himself on the Nicollet Mall as officers approached, The Associated Press reported. The incident was captured on city surveillance video and released by police within 90 minutes.
“This is not an officer-related incident,” Arradondo said. “We’re compounding more tragedy by the destruction and folks wanting to do harm to our communities in our downtown sector this evening.”
The curfew is until Thursday at 6 a.m. (CT) and a state of emergency is in effect for up to 72 hours.
Protests began in May and continuing throughout June in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, died after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost eight minutes while he was handcuffed to the ground.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.