Here Are 5 Times People Rioted Over Police-Related Incidents Before All The Facts Were Out

The United States has been experiencing waves of ongoing civil unrest across the country following the deaths of George Floyd and other predominantly black people in police-related incidents this year.

The majority of demonstrations have been nonviolent and lawful but the country is facing heightened risk of political violence and instability, according to a report released earlier this month by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. There have been 637 riots between May 26 and Sept. 12 along with a subsequent spike in violent crime.

Some of the largest riots so far have taken place in cities where police-related incidents led to fatal outcomes. In a number of instances, people heard the news of a police shooting and immediately reacted with violence and rioting before the facts were even out.

George Floyd

The lethal interaction between Floyd and Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin took place May 25 and circulated widely on social media after a Facebook video was uploaded May 26.

Minneapolis Police Department Chief Medaria Arradondo fired Chauvin and the three other officers involved in Floyd’s death May 26, The New York Times reported. But the official police account had inconsistencies and some of the information was not confirmed — Arradondo called for the FBI to investigate.

Civil unrest began to grow in Minneapolis that same night and escalated May 27 as demonstrations turned violent. Rioters looted stores and set buildings less than two days after the video of Floyd’s death had been released. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz referred to the riots as an “extremely dangerous situation” and said nearby residents should leave, NBC News reported.

Hennepin County prosecutor Mike Freeman charged Chauvin with 3rd degree murder and manslaughter May 29 after nearly three days of rioting. The 3rd Police Precinct building was set on fire and the total cost of the riots was $500 million with roughly 1,500 properties damaged, according to the Star Tribune.

Jacob Blake

Footage of a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting Blake seven times in the back Aug. 23 quickly circulated across social media. The officers involved were placed on administrative leave but authorities had not yet released details about the incident, the Associated Press reported.

Unrest grew in Kenosha overnight as police officers in riot gear arrived on the scene only hours later to disperse a crowd of protestors. The demonstrations turned violent Aug. 24 when rioters hit a police officer in the head with a brick. (RELATED: ‘There’s Just No Words’: Cleanup In Kenosha, Wisconsin, Continues Following Monday Riot)

Businesses were damaged and vehicles were set on fire as riots continued, the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal reported. The Wisconsin Department of Justice released information about the officers Aug. 26 and added that Blake “had a knife in his possession,” Fox 6 reported.

Kenosha Professional Police Association attorney Brendan Matthews said there were “wholly inaccurate” perceptions of the shooting in a statement Aug. 28 and slammed rioters for demonstrating before the facts were out, Kenosha News reported. But by then the riots had already been occurring for nearly four days, costing the city $2 million in property damages.

Minneapolis suicide

An unidentified black man shot and killed himself Aug. 26 in front of a crowd in downtown Minneapolis right before police officers were about to detain him, the Star Tribune reported. Reports of the incident circulated in the city and a group of initially peaceful protestors began to assemble in the center of the city.

Police released city surveillance footage of the incident roughly 90 minutes after the suicide which demonstrated that it was not a police-involved shooting, the New York Post reported. Police also said the man was a homicide suspect and Chief Arradondo said “people needed to know the facts” before civil unrest began once again in the city, The New York Times reported.

A growing protest in downtown Minneapolis turned violent the night of the suicide as preliminary reports from police indicated that shoplifting and damage to businesses had taken place, according to The New York Times. Democratic Minneapolis mayor requested the deployment of the state’s National Guard and a city-wide curfew was imposed.

Daniel Prude

A March 30 police incident in Rochester, New York led to Prude’s death after he was allegedly naked and claimed he had the coronavirus while smashing storefront windows. Initially peaceful protestors gathered outside the Rochester Public Safety Building after Prude’s family and attorney released body cam footage of the encounter Sept. 2, The Washington Post reported.

Democratic Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren suspended seven police officers involved in Prude’s death Sept. 3 and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the investigation was being moved to a grand jury the next day, according to The New York Times.

Demonstrations turned violent Sept. 5 according to multiple reports and an unlawful assembly was declared as Rochester police officers deployed crowd control munitions. Rioters could be seen surrounding a restaurant, throwing chairs and breaking glasses on tables outside, according to video footage posted online.

Rochester Police Department Chief La’Ron Singletary and his staff resigned Sept. 8 amid growing scrutiny. He slammed the “mischaracterization and the politicization” of the incident and said the ongoing civil unrest in Rochester was “not based on facts.”

Ricardo Munoz

Munoz was shot and killed by police in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during an incident Sept. 13 after police received a call about a domestic incident.

More than 100 protesters gathered near a Lancaster police station only hours after the incident was reported and the situation quickly evolved into a riot. Police used tear gas to disperse growing crowds after rioters began throwing objects at police officers and into the police station.

A police statement released after demonstrations had already begun included body cam footage of the incident which depicted Munoz attempting to break into his mother’s house. He then began chasing an officer with a knife when he was shot several times.

Lancaster Police Department Chief Jarrad Berkihiser defended the officer who shot Munoz in a statement Sept. 16 and argued that police officers “can’t always wait for backup” when faced with an imminent threat, WGAL reported. (RELATED: Bail For Accused Rioters In Lancaster, PA, Set At $1,000,000)

The number of people arrested during the ongoing riots has grown and the city has reportedly lost thousands of dollars in damages following several days of rioting, according to WHTM.