Charges: Armed man made death threats at Minneapolis LGBTQ bar
A 29-year-old man has been charged with making threats at a Minneapolis LGBTQ bar, allegedly brandishing a gun during the incident.
Police said Conell Harris, of Minneapolis, was allegedly in possession of a stolen gun when he made threats with it at the 19 Bar, located in the Loring Park neighborhood, just after 11 p.m. on Nov. 28.
The incident happened eight days after a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs left five people dead. Reuters reported 25 others were injured in the shooting.
Charges state Harris pulled the gun out after he was asked to leave the premises after his "strange" behavior was reported by employees, with then Harris allegedly saying anti-gay slurs as he continued to make threats.
Police spoke with bar employees and customers who claimed Harris became upset after he was asked for his ID.
When a bartender told Harris to leave, he said: "I ain't going nowhere," and pulled out a .45-caliber pistol from his pocket, the charges say. He squared up to the bartender and made comments including "watch what the f*** you're saying" and "I'm going to f*** you up."
A customer at the bar reportedly got between the two to deescalate the situation. As he was leaving, Harris yelled profanities at the bartenders, with the use of a homophobic slur while threatening to kill one of them.
Police noted in the complaint that Harris resisted arrest when officers arrived after he went back inside the bar to play pool.
Harris has been charged with making threats of violence with reckless disregard of risk and illegal weapons possession. If convicted on both charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison and/or a $40,000 fine.
On Thursday, the United States Attorney's Office in Minnesota also added a federal illegal possession of a firearm charge against Harris after he had previously been convicted of felony-level crimes.
Court records show Harris has been previously convicted of robbery and burglary charges in 2009 and 2016, respectively. In addition, he also has been convicted of illegally possessing a firearm in 2013 and 2014.
