Friends identify man fatally shot by law enforcement in Uptown as Winston Smith
The man fatally shot by law enforcement in Uptown, Minneapolis Thursday afternoon has been identified by friends and family as Winston Boogie Smith.
Smith, a musician who also goes by the name Wince Me Boi, was fatally shot in parking ramp at West Lake Street and Girard Avenue, adjacent to what was formerly known as Calhoun Square.
Details about his shooting remain limited, but the U.S. Marshals Service say he was approached by members of a law enforcement "task force" on a warrant for felon in possession of a firearm, and allegedly refused to comply with officer directions before he "produced a handgun."
It's not clear at this stage which of the law enforcement agencies responding to the scene opened fire, and whether any at the scene were wearing body cams, or whether any footage of Smith's killing will be released.
The Star Tribune reported – citing scanner traffic – that the man shot by police was possibly wanted in connection with a murder, maybe in another state, but there was no mention of this in the U.S. Marshals' press statement, and there has been no subsequent information released confirming if this is accurate.
Smith's death sparked some civil unrest in Uptown on Thursday evening, with property damage and looting reported at a number of businesses, with pictures shared at the scene also showing a dumpster being set on fire in the middle of Lake Street.
A few of those involved were arrested following clashes with law enforcement, though Minneapolis Police Department doesn't have any definitive figures as of Friday morning.
A post on Facebook by a woman who identifies herself as Smith's cousin says he was a father, while Smith's Facebook page says he previously attended Roosevelt Senior High School in south Minneapolis.
Judging by posts shared on social media, Smith appeared in several comedy videos including one this past weekend involving the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which was shared 14,000 times on Facebook.
His Twitter page for Wince Me Boi has more than 13,000 followers.
His past social media posts are also coming in for attention from other media outlets, including a series of posts in the wake of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer in which he says "justice is an eye for eye u kill one of mine we need one of yours that's justice."
He also criticized the extent of the rioting that saw damage across much of Lake Street, saying: "Y’all burning everything except the precincts ... y’all got to be the dumbest f----- people ever f----- up our jobs instead of there job."
Again, though, it's not clear at this stage precisely what actions Smith allegedly took to prompt police to open fire, given no footage of the incident has been released.
A woman who was in the vehicle with Smith was taken to a local hospital after suffering injuries from glass debris in the shooting.
