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Authorities: Man killed by Minnesota deputies had fired gun

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Posted at 7:33 PM, Jun 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-04 20:33:02-04

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say a man who was wanted on a weapons violation fired a gun from inside his vehicle before he was fatally shot by members of a federal task force as they were trying to arrest him.

Friends and family of Winston Boogie Smith Jr., 32, said the father of three was often harassed by police.

Authorities said Friday that members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for illegally carrying a firearm when he was shot by a deputy from Hennepin County and a deputy from Ramsey County.

The names of the deputies were not immediately released.

In a statement on Thursday, the Marshals Service said Smith, who was in a parked vehicle, didn’t comply with law enforcement and “produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject," the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, a handgun and spent cartridge were found inside the car.

The passenger in Smith's car, a woman, 27, was treated for injuries from glass debris.

Officers on the U.S. Marshal's North Star Fugitive Task Force are not allowed to use body cameras and the shooting was not captured on squad cameras, the AP reported.