ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The shooting of a police officer in Minnesota who was struggling to arrest a young man early Monday led to rumors on social media that drew protesters to police headquarters and prompted officers to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
During a news conference, St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson expressed frustration with the role social media had in spreading a rumor that two black men had been shot by police.
“Things can get blasted all over creation right now and it is very reckless in my opinion and it’s very dangerous, and this is the kind of thing that could have escalated, and I am deeply concerned about that kind of stuff,” Anderson said.
Officers were attempting to stop and detain the 18-year-old for what Anderson later said was a suspicion that he had a gun. He resisted arrest, drew a handgun and fired a shot that hit the officer in the hand, police said.
The Star Tribune reported that the officer was hospitalized in stable condition. No officers returned fire while struggling with the man, officials said. He was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
As misinformation spread on social media, about 100 people gathered outside the police station in downtown St. Cloud. Anderson said the building was damaged by people throwing rocks. Chemical irritants were used to disperse the crowd, and there were four arrests, he said.
“This place could have been on fire over a lie. Not just some misinformation, not just a few facts here and there, it was flat out untrue,” the chief said.
The shooting comes three weeks after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, some 65 miles (104 kilometers) southeast of St. Cloud. The death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, has sparked worldwide protests over police brutality and racism. He died after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, used his knee to pin down Floyd’s neck for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving.
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