Dolal Idd, 23, is the first person to be killed by the Minneapolis Police Department since George Floyd.
Why did a Black Minneapolis man Dolal Idd die in a shootout with police on December 30? The 23-year-old allegedly fired the first shots while attempting to illegally sell a handgun to a confidential informant, according to newly released police records.
Idd was prohibited from possessing firearms due to past convictions, but activists are still questioning how the case has been handled.
The three Minneapolis Police officers involved, Officer Paul Huynh, Sgt. Darcy Klund and Officer Jason Schmitt, are on standard administrative leave following the shooting, according to the KSTP.
Idd, of Eden Prairie, was allegedly being investigated for selling illegal firearms when officers attempted to arrest him on the night of December 30.
A confidential informant had reportedly been deployed to buy a pistol from Idd, KSTP reported, citing an affidavit. The informant alleged Idd had more firearms at home. Officers moved to make the arrest at a gas station during what they called a traffic stop with “probable cause,” Minnesota Public Radio News (MPR News) reported.
Body cam footage released within 24 hours of the deadly shooting showed officers ordering the driver of a white car to stop the vehicle and put his hands up before more than a dozen shots were fired, according to MPR News. A second, 27-second video from one of the officers' body cameras showed Idd fired the first shot during the confrontation, the Associated Press reported.
A “black and silver handgun” and “a MAC-10 assault style handgun” were recovered from Idd’s car, MPR News reported, citing a warrant application.
Activists, who organized protests and vigils following the city’s first police killing since George Floyd died, however, claimed the footage is not enough to establish what happened.
The passenger in Idd’s car at the time identified herself as his girlfriend, KSTP reported, citing an affidavit. She said she only knew Idd by his nickname, “Bird,” and she was not injured in the shootout, MPR News reported.
Hours after the shootout, in the early hours of December 31, authorities searched Idd’s home where he lived with family, but did not find any weapons or records of weapons sales, KSTP reported, citing police records.
Authorities said it was imperative to conduct the search overnight as they believed family members would move or destroy weapons in the home.
“Our hands behind the back with ties, they were screaming, they had guns,” said Idd’s father, Bayle Gelle, who spoke to KMSP after authorities raided his home. He said he was unaware of what had happened to Idd while the search was being conducted. "I have small children. They told us not to move on the bed. We got nightmare and shock."
Authorities confirmed to KMSP that plastic handcuffs were used in the search, and added that it is typical procedure for high-risk search warrants.
Police did not locate the weapons they believed to be at the residence, Idd did have arrests for weapons violations and drugs in the past, and he was listed as being in possession of a stolen 12-gauge shotgun, according to an affidavit. Documents also showed that police had been called to his home several times in the past, and Idd was charged in October 2018 for firing a gun in the home, KSTP reported.
Communities United Against Police Brutality, an organization which has been investigating deadly encounters with the police, believes there were still unanswered questions in the case.
“The city waited six whole days before they released these officers’ names,” spokesperson Michelle Gross told WCCO. Gross also alleged that authorities only released names of the officers involved after the organization took the city to court.
Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is continuing to investigate.
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