Gunshots rang out in Minnesota as George Floyd supporters gathered to honor him one year after his fatal encounter with Minneapolis police.
As Philip Crowther of the Associated Press reported, “as many as 30 gunshots” were heard near George Floyd Square on Tuesday (May 25), prompting people in the crowd to run and seek cover. A barbershop owner was spotted boarding his store window after it was damaged, and photos showed a bullet casing on the ground at the scene. An injured person who was in critical condition reportedly visited a local hospital after being shot, per USA Today. Authorities believe the injury was sustained in the shooting.
CNN later reported a person who arrived at Abbott Northwestern Hospital was now being treated at Hennepin County Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury. It is believed to be the same person.
Police spokesperson John Elder said that a witness called authorities to report that a vehicle was fleeing the area “at a high rate of speed.” No suspects have been arrested or identified, and things have since gone back to normal, allowing for the commencement of activities honoring the life of Floyd.
The intersection of 38th and Chicago aka George Floyd Square has been barricaded and decorated with murals since Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, ultimately suffocating him to death. For the one-year anniversary of his death, the square is the home of the Rise and Remember George Floyd festival, which will end with a candlelight vigil slated to occur at 8 p.m.
Events honoring Floyd will also take place throughout the country, including The Commons park in downtown Minneapolis where Floyd’s family joined the likes of Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz to commemorate Floyd’s life.
“It’s been a troubling year, a long year,” Bridgett Floyd told the crowd at the event for her late brother. “But we made it. They say with God all things are possible, and I’m a true believer in that…The love is very outpouring today. The love is here. George is here.”