According to scanner audio, here are radio communications between police and dispatch leading up to the fatal shooting of Thurman Blevins Jr. by Minneapolis police on Saturday evening:
Police dispatch audio captures communications leading to fatal shooting of Thurman Blevins Jr.
• Police received a report of "An intoxicated male walking around shooting a gun in the air" at 46th and Lyndale Avenue N. The gun was described as a silver 9mm with chrome at the top. Squad 460 says they're in the area and an officer asks for the suspect's description.
• "Looks like a light-complected black male, he's wearing a white or gray tank top, does have a black backpack on him," the dispatcher said, adding that he appears to be in his mid-30s, 6 feet tall, 180 pounds and headed northbound on Bryant Avenue from 46th Street.
• Squad 460 says they've arrived at 46th and Bryant. "We're all quiet here," an officer said. "Still checking."
• Squad 460 says they're at 47th and Lyndale about to make contact with a suspect matching the description. Squad 470 joins them.
• Squad 420 dispatches: "Chasing one, 48th-Aldrich, westbound, man has a gun."
• Dispatch advises other officers that the man has a gun as the chase continues.
• "Black tank top, brown shorts," the officer in pursuit says.
• "Southbound in the alley, Aldrich and Bryant," the officer says.
• "Shots fired, shots fired, one down," squad 420 says, calling for medics.
• Backup is immediately called.
• 420: "One down, EMS to our location ... I'm going to direct the ambulance in, 48th Bryant to Aldrich."
• All squads in the area are called in for backup and to block off the area. Squad 470: "We're starting to get a lot of people coming out into the area, so any squads that can come up here, we need everybody."