Facebook Live Video Shows Minnesota Man Brian Quinones Fatally Shot by Police

A Facebook live video captured the last moments of Minnesota man Brian Quinones, who police shot during a traffic stop Saturday.

A live video posted on Quinones’ page shows him listening to loud music while driving outside of Minneapolis around 10 p.m., while police lights flash in his rear window. He’s shown stopping the car, and then he climbs from his seat and cannot be seen in the frame. Then, the audio captures the voices of police over the loud music, followed by gunshots.

It is unclear what prompted the police officers to use lethal force, or exactly what happened before the live stream began that prompted the police chase. However, the Associated Press reported that emergency dispatch audio captured officers yelling “drop the knife” before firing.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting, which involved officers from both Minneapolis suburbs, Edina and Richfield.

In a brief statement, both towns’ police departments confirmed the location of the incident and that no officers were injured in the pursuit. It also offers “thought and prayers to all those involved in this tragic incident.”

It does not mention that the officers’ shots killed Quinones, who was identified by a medical examiner, according to NBC News.

The video has been removed from Facebook and has not yet been proven to be authentic, NBC reported.

Authorities told the Minneapolis Star Tribune Edina police officers reported a man repeatedly running red lights.

Before the livestream began, a post reading “So sorry” apparently appeared on Quinones’ Facebook page, leading some to believe he intended to instigate police into shooting him.

However, Quinones’ friends and family told the Star Tribune that though he had his struggles, he was a married father with a passion for family and making music. He had self-released a rap album, “T.I.M.E. (This Is My Everything)” earlier that day. He worked at General Mills and as a barber.

Quinones was born in Puerto Rico and still has family there, the Star Tribune reports.

That night, dozens of locals, as well as Quinones’ friends and family gathered behind the police tape near Quinones’ body, according to the Star Tribune. While family and friends huddled together and cried in the rain, the crowd became more agitated, protesting the officers’ use of lethal force.

Related Story: Family of De’Von Bailey, 19-Year-Old Black Man Shot by Colorado Springs Police, Rallies for Justice

At a vigil Sunday, some questioned why the police chose to shoot instead of using other de-escalation methods or tools like Tasers, according to the Star Tribune. After the vigil, protestors marched onto Interstate 494 and briefly blocked traffic.

According to the Washington Post’s lethal force database, 19% of those killed by police shootings this year have been Hispanic. The percentage amounts to 116 people, however, the database does not appear to be updated to include Quinones’ information. It is important to note the database includes both armed and unarmed suspects.

It is not confirmed whether Quinones intended for officers to kill him, and his friends told the Star Tribune they had not been aware of him discussing any struggles with mental illness. Regardless, it is important to note people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in the hands of police.

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