Minneapolis crews battled fires at four businesses overnight Wednesday amid rioting and looting that was sparked over false rumors concerning a police-involved shooting in the city. The civil unrest came only a few days after the shooting of a 29-year-old Black man by police in Wisconsin.
Firefighters responded to calls at the following locations in Minneapolis, according to the department:
- Brit's Pub at Nicollet Mall
- Tires Plus on West Lake Street
- Walgreens on Chicago Avenue
- China Wok on 27th Avenue South
Two residents living above China Wok were trapped when the building caught fire. Crews used ladders to reach one person on the second floor and anothe on the roof, the department said.
No injuries were reported from the incidents. Investigators are looking into what caused the fires.
The latest incidents were part of rioting and looting that erupted after inaccurate social media reports of a police shooting at Nicollet Mall late Wednesday. Police told KARE-TV that officers approached a murder suspect in front of the shopping center, and security video shows the man apparently pulling a gun and fatally shooting himself.
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No deadly force was used by officers in the incident, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. But roughly 500 people still filled downtown Minneapolis, vandalizing and looting multiple businesses, he added.
The new round of civil unrest comes in the wake of an incident Sunday in which Kenosha police shot and wounded Jacob Blake. It also has been about three months since George Floyd died while being arrested by Minneapolis police, an event that ignited demonstrations in cities across the country.
