Oct. 11, 2021

A county attorney says the two Twin Cities deputies who shot and killed Winston Smith in June will not face criminal charges. Smith, a Black man, was shot while in a parked vehicle in Uptown Minneapolis.

Crow Wing County Attorney Donald Ryan said the deputies working for the U.S. Marshals Service shot Smith when he failed to comply with orders and that the use of deadly force was justified. A passenger in Smith’s vehicle said through her attorneys that Smith didn’t have a gun.

The officers were attempting to arrest Smith, who was wanted on a state warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The initial statement from the Marshals Service said Smith didn't comply with law enforcement to get out of the parked car and "produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject."

Hennepin County and Crow Wing County authorities have declined further comment on the matter beyond Ryan’s published remarks.

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