Protesters demanding justice and the arrest and prosecution of two police officers who shot and killed Thurman Blevins in north Minneapolis in June gathered in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday night and blocked the light rail. The blockage lasted just a short time before Metro Transit resumed service, although protesters were still gathered near the tracks by Target Field at 7:30 p.m. The protest is in response to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman deciding not to charge the two police officers who shot and killed Blevins on June 23. Freeman made his decision public on Monday, which drew an immediate response from protesters who are demanding justice for Blevins through the firing and prosecution of the involved officers. Video of the shooting from body cameras worn by the officers was released Sunday night, and it shows what appears to be a handgun in Blevins' hand as he runs from police. Blevins was shot in the back multiple times and died at the scene.<doc-sep>Image 1 of 2 ▼ Hundreds of protesters marched along the downtown Minneapolis light rail tracks Tuesday, calling for justice after the police body camera footage was released in the deadly officer-involved shooting of Thurman Blevins. After listening to some speakers outside the Hennepin County Government Center, the crowd began to follow the light rail tracks, causing delays for the Green and Blue Lines as well as some bus routes. Metro Transit officials are telling people to expect delays. During the march, a woman saying, "I just want to go home" tried walking through a group of protesters, but then things got heated. The woman grabbed at one of the protesters' signs and the protester responded with two punches - one hitting the woman near her shoulder and the other hitting her in the arms. The scuffle was quickly broken up and the woman was seen speaking with police. A spokesman for Minneapolis police says no formal complaint was made about the incident and no arrests were made during the protest. Advertisement After reviewing police body camera footage of the Blevins shooting, evidence and the case file, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman decided not to charge the two officers involved in the shooting. Blevins' family members and activists have been critical of the body camera footage since its release Sunday night, voicing their concerns by taking over Freeman's press conference on Monday.<doc-sep>Activists are protesting the decision not to charge two Minneapolis, Minnesota police officers who shot and killed Thurman Blevins. Authorities said the African-American man was armed and dangerous, but protesters disagree. Protests interrupted the press conference of Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman on Monday, before he could announce that he would not be charging Officers Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt. “These cases tear apart our community. No one wins today: A young man is dead, our officers face increasing criticism and scrutiny, and the community is devastated,” Freeman said. #BREAKING: Family and loved ones of Thurman Blevins have taken over Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman’s news conference. (Warning: explicit language) pic.twitter.com/IcPR7orlT1 — Jonathan Rozelle (@JonathanRozelle) July 30, 2018 Blevins’s relatives insist he was not a threat to either the officers or the community. “He didn’t deserve to die,” his cousin Sydnee Brown told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “He wasn’t a threat when [the officers] approached him. They didn’t view him as a human being.” Blevins, 31, was shot and killed on June 23. The Minneapolis Police Department released the body camera video from Kelly and Schmidt, showing them confronting a man with a gun, chasing him when he tried to flee on foot and shooting him once he pulls the gun from his pants. Freeman’s statement about the facts of the case, released online because the press conference was interrupted, says that in addition to 14 cartridges from the two officers’ handguns, another cartridge was found, showing that Blevins had fired his gun as well. Family members and Minneapolis community members continue to rally after prosecutors announced no charges against officers involved in the shooting of #thurmanblevinspic.twitter.com/nL2SS8DWLy — Youssef Rddad (@youssefrddad) July 30, 2018 “Mr. Blevins’s possession of a loaded handgun and his decision to take that gun out of his pocket as he turned towards the officers posed an immediate threat to the safety of the officers and others,” Freeman said, declaring Kelly and Schmidt justified in opening fire. The two officers were responding to a 911 call about a man shooting in the North Minneapolis neighborhood. The male caller described the man as “light skinned” and carrying a “big bottle of Amsterdam vodka and a cup of green Four Loko alcohol.” It’s “just not safe around here,” the caller said, according to the transcript of the 911 call, released earlier. Read more When Kelly and Schmidt pulled up to the location of the call, they found Blevins sitting on the sidewalk next to a woman with a baby. He matched the description of the suspected shooter, down to the alcoholic beverages. Officers said he also had a gun in his pants. When they yelled at him to stop and drop the gun, Blevins took off. During the chase that took less than a minute, Blevins can be heard yelling at the officers, “I didn't do nothing bro!” as well as “Please don't shoot” and “Leave me alone.” Footage from Kelly and Schmidt’s body cameras, released Sunday night, shows the officers opening fire as Blevins reaches for the gun and points it down and to the side. The shooting prompted a series of Black Lives Matter protests in the Twin Cities, with activists demanding the police release the body camera footage of the incident as soon as possible. Attorney Glenda Hatchett told the Star-Tribune on Sunday night she was no longer representing the Blevins family. She famously represented the family of Philando Castile, a St. Paul man shot by a police officer in 2016. While Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted, he was dismissed from the St. Anthony police department and Castile’s family received a $3 million settlement from the city. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!<doc-sep>
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — What began as a peaceful protest Tuesday night quickly became a large demonstration throughout the streets of downtown Minneapolis, with hundreds shutting down light rail lines and intersections. “I’m a black person myself and I feel bad for any black person who was shot by police and most of us have no justice,” said one protester. Organizers claim they wanted to disrupt fans who were making their way to Target Field for the Twins game. Tensions quickly boiled over. “I got to go sign a lease to live and these dumb people think this is how you make change,” said one commuter. One frustrated woman using the light rail was punched in the face after she tried ripping away signs from people, screaming that she wanted to go home. The march throughout the city streets comes one day after Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced there would be no charges against the two officers involved in the shooting. Police body camera video of the incident was released on Sunday, showing Blevins running from police with what appears to be a silver handgun. Activists still insist Blevins posed no threat. During Tuesday afternoon’s rally, the protesters chanted Blevins’s final words: “Leave me alone” and “Please don’t shoot me.” One mother tells WCCO-TV she isn’t just marching for Blevins, but for her bi-racial son as well. “The world that we are living in with the police is scary and I want him especially to understand that his life is in danger,” the woman said.