MINNEAPOLIS — A Mississippi man has been charged in a fatal downtown Minneapolis shooting, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
Kevion Jamal Gibbs, 23, was charged with intentional second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 33-year-old man in a parking lot near Augie's, which is in the area of Hennepin Avenue and South Fifth Street.
According to the criminal complaint, Metro Transit officers stationed nearby saw a group of people arguing near Augie's at about 2 a.m. Saturday. They said they saw the victim punch a man before starting to run away from the group.
The complaint states that Gibbs fired "two or three" shots at the victim from about five feet away, killing him. Prosecutors said findings from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner showed that the victim was shot three times in the torso.
Authorities say officers chased Gibbs, and one of them shot him in the leg. Metro Transit said earlier in the week that Gibbs was taken to the hospital and later to the Hennepin County Detention Center.
The criminal complaint states that Gibbs was interviewed while he was being treated at the hospital. He said he was trying to get his family members away from a confrontation with two men that started inside Augie's, and that the victim had punched Gibbs and his brother.
According to the complaint, Gibbs said he fired shots at the ground to disperse the group and defend himself. However, prosecutors say body camera video shows that Gibbs "pointed the gun directly" at the victim before firing.
Gibbs will make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. .
The Minnesota BCA is investigating the Metro Transit officer's shooting of Gibbs during the arrest. This is standard procedure for incidents in which officers use force.