Deputies In Uptown Shooting Were Undercover, Won't Be Identified

MINNEAPOLIS — The Hennepin and Ramsey County deputies who shot and killed a man in the busy Minneapolis neighborhood of Uptown Thursday were working undercover and their identities will be protected, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced Wednesday.

The BCA said it is prohibited from releasing the identities of undercover officers under Minnesota law.

The two deputies were working on U.S. Marshals North Star Fugitive Task Force. On Thursday, the Marshals task force was alerted about the location of a man who had a warrant for a felony firearms violation, the BCA said.

At one point, the man fired his weapon from inside a car before he was killed, according to the BCA. A woman who was in the car at the time was treated for minor injuries from glass debris.

There were no other injuries.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the man as Winston Boogie Smith, Jr., a Black man from St. Paul.

Officers from six different agencies were working on the task force when the fatal shooting took place, the BCA said. The angencies included Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey County sheriff’s offices; the Minnesota Department of Corrections; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Following the fatal shooting, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher decided to remove his agency from the federal task force. Fletcher said his deputies on the task force were not allowed to equip themselves with body-worn cameras prior to the shooting.

Read more: US Marshals 'Misleading' On Body Cam Policies: Ramsey Co. Sheriff

Fatal shooting sparks unrest

A crowd of onlookers and protesters quickly grew near the scene of the shooting Thursday afternoon. Overnight, "numerous" buildings were vandalized and looted in response to the fatal shooting, according to Minneapolis police.

Protesters set a dumpster on fire, KSTP reported.

Windows at the Lake Street CVS were smashed in and the inside of the store was vandalized, according to the Star Tribune. The nearby Lake Street Tires Plus was also vandalized the newspaper reported.

The fatal shooting happened hours after city workers began clearing the barriers at George Floyd Square Thursday morning.