Homicide Suspect Who Shot Self On Nicollet Mall Identified

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Officials have identified the homicide suspect who shot himself Wednesday on Nicollet Mall, sparking riots and looting in downtown Minneapolis.

Eddie Sole Jr., 38, of Minneapolis, died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office. His manner of death was listed as suicide.

Minneapolis police say Sole was a suspect in a homicide Wednesday afternoon inside Ramp A, off 10th Street and Currie Avenue West. The victim, a 61-year-old man, died of gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

Police tracked Sole to the 800 block of Nicollet Mall, where he shot himself outside the downtown Target store.

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Amid the commotion, a rumor quickly spread that Minneapolis police fatally shot Sole, who is Black. Frustration boiled over, with rioters breaking windows on buildings along Nicollet Mall and looting the businesses inside.

Police promptly released surveillance video showing the suicide, but the rioting continued into the night. Police later took down the surveillance video from their social media accounts.

The looting led Mayor Jacob Frey to declare a state of emergency and issue a curfew for Wednesday night. More than 130 people were arrested; dozens were booked for rioting and burglary.