MINNEAPOLIS _ Residents and workers in downtown Minneapolis grappled with shattered peace, broken glass, looted shops and personal trepidation Thursday morning after a suicide of a homicide suspect on Nicollet Mall ignited waves of rioting.
The destruction recalled the damage done in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody three months ago but lacked the moral outrage as the suspect, Eddie Frank Sole Jr., 38, died by his own hand.
A city-imposed curfew limited the damage done by looters and rioters and was lifted at 6 a.m. National Guard personnel maintained positions downtown, while Metro Transit service resumed in the immediate area after being halted or diverted for many hours. Mayor Jacob Frey has announced a Thursday night curfew as well.
Fire officials are investigating the apparent torching of four retail outlets overnight that expanded the destruction well beyond the city's core. One was downtown at Brit's Pub at 1110 Nicollet Mall. Others miles away broke out at Tires Plus on West Lake Street, China Wok on South 27th Avenue and Walgreens on South Chicago Ave.
Fire crews rescued two residents from above the China Wok restaurant, one off the roof and the other from a second-floor window using ladders, said Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner. Tyner said fire officials are treating the blazes, which caused no injuries, as suspicious.
By the time calm was restored, dozens had been arrested. The State Patrol said its troopers arrested 28 people along with five more by state conservation officers. Minneapolis police have yet to disclose how many suspects they busted.
Wednesday night's unrest erupted amid false rumors that police had fatally shot a Black man on Nicollet Mall hours after he was implicated in a homicide elsewhere downtown.
Police almost immediately released city surveillance video of the suicide, it had little effect on those who broke windows at retail stores, restaurants, bars and coffee shops.
By Thursday morning, however, Police explained that they decided to remove the video from public view "due to the graphic nature and out of respect for the individual, his family and the community."
Gov. Tim Walz mobilized the Minnesota National Guard and sent in 150 State Patrol troopers, declaring at an 11 p.m. news conference that the violence would not be tolerated.
"Minneapolis, it's time to heal," Walz said. "We must rebuild and recover."
Damage to downtown businesses was widespread and seemingly random. Chipotle, Caribou, Walgreens and Nordstrom Rack each were attacked. Some businesses, like Target, escaped with minor damage and planned to reopen later Thursday.
Cleanup crews were joined Thursday by downtown neighbors like Jonathan Fishbein and Michelle McCoy and began sweeping up glass shards and other detritus.
McCoy, 35, works at the minute clinic in the Nicollet Mall Target. She heard the gunshot and went to the scene where she said officers were administering CPR.
"There was a lot of chaos and people wondering what was going on. The question everyone was asking is did the cops shoot him? And everybody in that whole block area are sending a message: No, he killed himself. It was very emotional, very intense, a lot of frustration and anger," McCoy said.
"Picking up trash won't save the city, but showing people we care will make a big impact," she said.
The rioting's effects stretched from Fifth to 12th along Nicollet, then reached over to the Speedway and the neighboring Greenway Liquor Store near Loring Park. Caution tape surrounded the gas pump and gas station entrance.
"They took everything," a Speedway employee said, register and all. The retailer was closed and turning away many customers trying to cross the tape.
Many downtown businesses have been struggling to stay afloat financially since March, when the coronavirus pandemic shut many down or limited their operations.
Aside from lingering yellow police tape, there was scant police presence Thursday morning. Squads were seen periodically driving down Nicollet Mall, not unlike other weekday mornings. Downtown residents were outside walking their dogs, some stopping to take photos of the damage.
Buildings were spray-painted with "Everybody hates the police," "No justice, no peace" and "loot more."
In a series of tweets soon after the unrest, City Council member Jeremiah Ellison got word out that the man's death was a suicide but also sought to explain the rationale behind the immediate suspicion that police killed the homicide suspect and the resulting violence.
"MPD did not kill him, but people assuming they did is rooted in a steep distrust," Ellison, who represents the North Side, said. "That distrust is our failure to own."
He acknowledged that "seeing windows broken and items stolen can be beyond frustrating, especially when all that rage was sparked (this time) by misinformation. But so often our policing institutions have themselves been the source of misinformation."
Reactions to the destruction along the urban mall from commuters and residents included anger, grief, frustration and thoughts of getting out.
A teary-eyed Diana Williams, hurrying to catch a bus for work, said the rioters are "making it hard for good working people who are trying to make their lives better. Since George Floyd died, people acting crazy."
Michael Sanchez walked his dog down Nicollet past the damaged Target headquarters where he works. He said he and his wife began considering moving out of Loring Park a few months ago. They have a baby at home, and "we want to keep him out of harm's way," Sanchez said.
City Council member Lisa Goodman, whose ward includes downtown and the Loring Park area, said Thursday that she's been hearing from other constituents who fear leaving their buildings. Goodman said these are people who "believe we need to end the systemic racism in the Police Department, and believe that Black lives matter, and who believe what happened last night was lawlessness."
Rick Alaric agreed the looting overnight was pointless. But he added that he's tired of Black people like him not being treated equally. "No Black people own these buildings," Alaric said.
Jerome Jackson, 60, waited out the curfew before heading downtown to work. He perched under the Mary Tyler Moore statue to listen to gospel music and survey the aftermath.
"Sad state of affairs," said Jackson, summing things up. "Tearing up your own community won't result in anything. But a lot of people feel left out," he said, adding that he had been a police officer for 20 years in Louisiana.
The mayhem was set off by Sole's suicide. He was wanted for the slaying of another man earlier that day in a downtown Minneapolis parking garage.
Police say two men and a woman were in the parking garage dispute, which resulted in the fatal shooting of Eddie George Gordon, 61. The suspected shooter, Sole, fled with the woman, according to police spokesman John Elder. Police soon located and detained the woman for questioning, Elder said. He did not identify the woman.
Police found Sole at Eighth Street and Nicollet Mall at 6 p.m. Wednesday. He apparently saw officers approaching, then turned into a doorway and shot himself under the chin, Elder said.
The death of Floyd on May 25 while being restrained on the pavement by police at East 38th Street and South Chicago Avenue sparked days of rioting in south Minneapolis and St. Paul that left hundreds of properties torched, looted or otherwise damaged. Two deaths have been attributed to the unrest.
