2 Plead Guilty To Arson In Minneapolis Police Precinct Fire

MINNEAPOLIS — Two St. Paulites pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of conspiracy to commit arson in the fire at the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct headquarters.

Davon D. Turner, 25, and Branden M. Wolfe, 23, were accused of taking part in the destruction of the building during the protests that followed the Memorial Day death of George Floyd.

Under federal statutes, the men each face a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years. Wolfe will be sentenced on April 22. Turner will be sentenced on May 13.

Hundreds of people overran the 3rd Precinct on May 28, and Mayor Jacob Frey ordered police to abandon it. At one point during the night, the crowd began shouting, "Burn it down! Burn it down!" and the fence around the building was torn down.

Turner and Bryce Michael Williams together lit an "incendiary device," and Turner used it to start a blaze inside the building, police said. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of arson on Nov. 19.

Wolfe pushed a barrel into a fire that was set by someone else, according to authorities. In court, Wolfe admitted that he pushed the barrel to accelerate the blaze, according to federal authorities.