Marchers protest police actions in death of Terrance Franklin
Hundreds marched through downtown Minneapolis Friday evening to protest police actions in the death of Terrance Franklin.
Demonstrators flooded the sidewalks and spilled into the street, stalling traffic as they demanded an independent investigation of the incident and prosecution of the officers involved
Franklin, 22, was fatally shot in the basement of an uptown Minneapolis home May 10. He was fleeing police who suspected him in a burglary.
Organizer Mel Reeves said African Americans in particular have another reason not to trust police.
Grow the Future of Public Media
MPR News is supported by Members. Gifts from individuals power everything you find here. Make a gift of any amount today to become a Member!
"We think something wrong happened here and we want justice, whatever it looks like," Reeves said. "We think that -- yes, we can say it -- we think that the police killed him. We don't know how, we don't know the circumstances, but we know he wound up dead.
Minneapolis Chief of Police Janee Harteau has said her department still is investigating what happened, but few details into the circumstances of the shooting have been made public. Police said after being cornered in the basement, Franklin fought with Minneapolis police officers, grabbing at one of their guns. Two officers also were wounded in the incident.
Friends and family at Friday's demonstration said Franklin wasn't the kind of person who would have grabbed an officer's gun.
Emma Mercer said she grew up with Franklin .
"We want everybody to understand that what's being said about Terrance Franklin isn't true," Mercer said. "He was wrongly killed. And we just want them to know that yeah the police is supposed to be here for us but in this situation the police is wrong."
