Brooklyn Center officers fatally shoot man suspected of killing 2 in Minneapolis, police say
Police officers in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, fatally shot an armed male who shot at them on Monday afternoon, officials say. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says the individual killed was suspected of fatally shooting two people earlier on Monday.
Officers in the Twin Cities suburb responded to the area between the 5500 and 5600 blocks of Brooklyn Boulevard around 3:55 p.m. for a report of a male waving a gun around outside retail stores, according to police. They were confronted by the male, who was armed with a handgun, when they arrived, officials said.
"Gunfire was exchanged between the subject and officers and the subject was struck by the gunfire," police said in a news release.
The officers, who were wearing body cameras during the incident, administered first aid to the male before he was taken to the hospital, where he later died, according to officials.
Police said no officers were hit by bullets in the shooting. An undisclosed number of them have been placed on critical incident leave.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.
"I heard so many, so many gunshots," said lawyer and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was nearby when the shooting happened. "I ducked beside my car because I didn't know what the heck was going on."
Around 3:30 p.m. in north Minneapolis, police said a 14-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man were killed in a shooting. O'Hara says the suspected shooter, a 23-year-old man, was the man killed by Brooklyn Center officers.
"We believe that the suspect from this double murder left the scene and shortly thereafter became involved in a shooting with police in Brooklyn Center," O'Hara said.
Sources close to the case and court records identified the shooting suspect as Eddie Duncan.
The two who were shot and killed were Duncan's cousins, O'Hara said. His grandmother, as well as four children were also in the home at the time.
Court records show Duncan was released on bond Monday for a case out of Robbinsdale in which he faced felony charges, including possessing a machine gun, after an officer found a handgun with an extended magazine and a switch that affects the trigger mechanism.
Court documents also show Duncan was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation while in custody to see if he was psychologically fit to stand trial.
The criminal complaint described Duncan as a "threat to public safety."
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says it asked the judge to set Duncan's bail at $35,000 with conditions, which is higher than normal, given that Duncan was noted as a public safety risk. The judge set bail at that amount and Duncan posted the bail, the office said.
