Thousands protesting over the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody , have clashed with riot officers firing tear gas for a second night in Minneapolis, with one man shot dead near to the scene.
Crowds of protesters took to the streets on Tuesday after a video was shared on social media showing Mr Floyd, 46, being pinned to the ground by his neck despite saying he could not breathe.
The second day of demonstrations, accompanied by looting, continued on Wednesday and began hours after Mayor Jacob Frey urged prosecutors to file criminal charges against the policeman shown holding Mr Floyd to the ground. Four officers who participated in Mr Floyd’s arrest were dismissed from the police department on Tuesday as the FBI opened an investigation into the incident.
As the violence escalated, a man was shot dead near the scene of protests. The man was found lying on the pavement at around 9:25pm with a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital, where he later died. A suspect has been arrested.
At a press conference around midnight, a spokesman confirmed the police are investigating the theory that he was killed by a pawn shop owner who suspected him of looting his store, but said they were “in the infancy of this investigation”.
At first hundreds of protesters, many with faces covered, thronged streets around the Third Precinct police station late on Wednesday, about half a mile from where Mr Floyd had been arrested, chanting, “No justice, no peace” and “I can’t breathe.”
The crowd grew to thousands as night fell and the protest turned into a standoff outside the station, where police in riot gear formed barricade lines and protesters taunted them from behind makeshift barricades of their own.
George Floyd Protests – In pictures
Police, some taking positions on rooftops, used tear gas, plastic bullets and concussion grenades to keep the crowds at bay, while protesters pelted police with rocks, water bottles and other projectiles. Some threw tear gas canisters back at the officers.
