Protesters on Cars at Lyndale and Lake Street, Minneapolis

Protesters gathered on the third night of demonstrations following the law enforcement shooting death of Winston Smith on June 3rd in Minneapolis. Officials stated that officers from Hennepin and Ramsey County, operating as part of a Federal Task Force, discharged their weapons while attempting to serve a warrant. The protests occurred at the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street, a significant commercial and transit hub in the Uptown neighborhood. On June 3, 2021, members of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force fatally shot 32-year-old Winston “Boogie” Smith Jr. on the top level of a parking ramp in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood while attempting to arrest him on a felony warrant. Authorities said Smith fired a handgun from inside his vehicle during the encounter, while family members and activists questioned the official account and demanded the release of additional evidence. The killing led to weeks of protests, street occupations, and confrontations with police in Uptown, becoming another major flashpoint in Minneapolis during the period following the murder of George Floyd. Earlier in the day Minneapolis city officials along with The Agape Movement coordinated to open the streets that had been closed at George Floyd Square since his murder.

Photo taken in June 2021.