SAINT PAUL, MN – After the release of police body camera footage showing the fatal police shooting of Minneapolis resident Thurman Blevins, North Minneapolis Representatives Fue Lee (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rayomnd Dehn (DFL – Minneapolis), and State Senator Bobby Joe Champion (DFL – Minneapolis) released the following statement:
“As the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension [BCA] and other law enforcement continue their investigation, we encourage them to continue engaging with the Northside community and to use every tool available to bring justice. We need to know exactly what transpired to improve the safety of our community and to put an end to deaths by police action. The videos show a very tragic and traumatic incident. Our community needs to heal and we all should respect each other’s need for the time and space to heal. While our community seeks healing for the family, ourselves and our neighbors, we can’t forget that we can and must do better. It’s not a crime to drink in our society and it’s not a crime to have a gun, but there are many things that could have been done differently - by Thurman Blevins and by Officers Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly. It seems that officers choose other options with white suspects than they do with suspects of color, and we must change that. Our hearts are with the family of Thurman Blevins, and we want community members and the family to know we are available to hear the thoughts and feelings on their hearts as they seek justice for their loved one during this very difficult time. As Legislators, we will continue looking comprehensively at our state laws and use-of-force policies to keep both our communities of color and police officers safe.”
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