Officers fatally shoot man, out on bail, suspected of killing 2 in Minneapolis

Police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, shot and killed an armed man Monday afternoon after he allegedly opened fire on officers. Authorities say the same man is believed to have fatally shot two relatives earlier in the day in north Minneapolis.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers were dispatched at about 3:55 p.m. to the 5500–5600 blocks of Brooklyn Boulevard in the Twin Cities suburb following reports of a man brandishing a gun outside several retail businesses. When officers arrived, they encountered the suspect, who was carrying a handgun.

Police said an exchange of gunfire followed. The man was struck during the shootout. Officers, who were equipped with body cameras, provided medical aid at the scene before he was transported to a hospital, where he later died. No officers were wounded, though several involved in the shooting have been placed on standard critical incident leave.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation into the encounter.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene. Civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was nearby at the time, said she heard numerous gunshots and took cover behind her car, unsure of what was happening.

Earlier that afternoon, at around 3:30 p.m., two people — a 14-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man — were shot and killed inside a north Minneapolis home. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said investigators believe the suspect in that double homicide fled the scene and soon after became involved in the confrontation with officers in Brooklyn Center.

Authorities identified the suspected shooter as 23-year-old Eddie Duncan, according to sources familiar with the case and court records. O’Hara said the two people killed were Duncan’s cousins. At the time of the shooting, Duncan’s grandmother and four children were also inside the residence but were not harmed.

Court documents reveal that Duncan had been released earlier Monday after posting bond in a separate felony case out of Robbinsdale. In that case, he was charged with weapons offenses, including possession of a machine gun, after police reportedly found him with a handgun fitted with an extended magazine and a device that modified the trigger mechanism.

Records also indicate that a judge had ordered Duncan to undergo a psychological evaluation while in custody to determine whether he was competent to stand trial. Prosecutors described him in charging documents as posing a threat to public safety.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it had requested bail be set at $35,000 with conditions — a higher-than-usual amount due to concerns about public safety. A judge agreed to that amount, and Duncan posted bond before Monday’s shootings unfolded.

Source: CBS NEWS