A Minnesota National Guard and Minneapolis Police Department neighborhood security team was fired upon early Sunday morning in a drive-by shooting, according to state law enforcement officials.
The shooting happened at approximately 4:19 a.m. near Penn Avenue and Broadway in Minneapolis, as shots were fired from a light-colored SUV at an Operation Safety Net security team providing neighborhood security, the Minnesota National Guard said in a statement.
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No team members were seriously injured. Two National Guard members sustained minor injuries from the incident. One Guardsman sustained an injury from shattered glass requiring additional care and was taken to a local hospital, the statement said. The other Guardsman received only superficial injuries.
“I am relieved to know none of our Guardsmen were seriously injured,” Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, Minnesota National Guard adjutant general, said in a statement. “This event highlights the volatility and tension in our communities right now. I ask for peace as we work through this difficult time.”
Minnesota National Guard stands near bullet hole in window.
(KMSP)
Photos released by the Minnesota National Guard showed bullet holes in a broken National Guard vehicle’s window.
The Minnesota National Guard is activated as part of Operation Safety Net, a joint effort among the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the state of Minnesota and local jurisdictions to protect people, freedom of speech and property during the Derek Chauvin trial as well as the aftermath of the police-involved shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington had reiterated at a press conference last week that unified command is operating to protect individuals’ First Amendment rights and keep the peace by preventing crime and destruction, looting, arson and attacks on people.
Members of the Minnesota National Guard and other agencies have been accompanying emergency medical and fire responders in the Twin Cities metro area to provide security for first responders, “enabling them to safely treat patients and save lives,” according to Operation Safety Net.
A federal judge on Friday also issued a temporary restraining order against Harrington and Minnesota State Patrol Col. Matthew Langer over alleged use of force against journalists covering the civil unrest.
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In response to the ruling, Minnesota State Patrol said it would not photograph journalists or their credentials but troopers will continue to check credentials “so media will not be detained any longer than is necessary.” Though members of the press have been detained, none have been arrested during protests, according to state police.
The temporary restraining order also bars state police from enforcing general dispersal orders against the press and prohibits state police from seizing equipment from them or ordering someone believed to be a member of the media to stop recording or observing.