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Man shot with non-lethal projectile sues Minneapolis, MPD
Mason Hermann of Woodbury says he was peacefully protesting outside the MPD 3rd precinct on May 27, 2020 when an officer shot him in the head with a projectile.
MINNEAPOLIS — A Twin Cities man has filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and its police department, alleging an MPD officer shot him in the head with a non-lethal projectile during a peaceful protest following George Floyd’s murder.
Court documents lay out the allegations by Mason Hermann, who claims he suffered life-changing injuries during the protest outside the MPD’s 3rd precinct on May 27, 2020.
The lawsuit – filed Sept. 29 in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis – says Hermann was part of a group calmly protesting the deaths of Floyd and other Black citizens on that day when an MPD officer perched on the roof of the precinct purposely targeted him without warning, firing a non-lethal 40mm projectile directly into the left side of his head.
Hermann said he was not in a restricted area, had not displayed aggression, was unarmed, and was given no commands by police before the shot was fired. The lawsuit said as he traveled home from the protest that evening he noticed “a progressive decline in his neurological functioning.”
He was eventually transported to a hospital in River Falls, Wis., and then transferred to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where Hermann was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
The lawsuit claims that since that day, Hermann has experienced a decline in his mental health, struggling with short-term memory loss, headaches and fatigue. The plaintiff says his injuries have impacted his daily functioning and interpersonal relationships.
To support their case, Hermann’s legal team documents multiple lawsuits Minneapolis has settled with others who alleged police misconduct and violation of their First Amendment rights, also noting that a probe by the Department of Justice found that MPD has engaged in a persistent pattern of conduct that deprives residents of their constitutional rights.
Mason Hermann is seeking a jury trial and asking for financial compensation to be determined by jurors that includes special and compensatory damages, attorneys fees and injunctive relief forcing the city of Minneapolis and MPD to stop engaging in unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful policies, practices and customs.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A jump in the mercury Wednesday is mixing with gusty winds and low relative humidity to trigger a Red Flag Warning in parts of Minnesota.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued the warning for 18 counties in southwest, west-central and south-central Minnesota beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m. Counties affected include Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, Traverse, Watonwan, and Yellow Medicine.
A Red Flag Warning means conditions are right for wildfires to start and rapidly spread under predicted weather conditions. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tells residents in the impacted areas not to burn and encourages them to check recent burns to make sure those fires are completely out and don’t rekindle.
“Embers can be carried for over a mile in high winds like this,” explained DNR wildfire prevention specialist Karen Harrison.
“People should use extreme caution until conditions improve.”
The DNR will not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burns during Red Flag Warnings, and campfires are strongly discouraged.
The event takes place during October with a passport offering discounts at 15 vintage stores and shops across Minneapolis and St. Paul.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Are you into vintage things? If so, October is your month!
The Vintage Fall Crawl is an event that runs from Oct. 1 to 31, celebrating and uplifting vintage stores and shops across the Twin Cities. This is the third year patrons can buy a Vintage Fall Crawl Passport, which offers a one-time 10% discount at 15 different shops owned by women.
Passports are $10, and all proceeds from their sales will be donated to the YWCA St. Paul + Minneapolis, a non-profit working to eliminate racism and empower women.
Rebecca Sansone, owner of The Mustache Cat in Minneapolis, dropped by KARE 11 News at Noon to talk about the crawl and the importance of knowing that your shopping dollars are doing good in the community.
Here are the 15 businesses participating in the Vintage Fall Crawl.
- The Mustache Cat
- Moth Oddities
- Style Society
- Tandem Vintage
- Carousel and Folk
- Up Six Vintage
- The Golden Pearl Vintage
- Audrey Rose Vintage
- Betty’s Antiques
- Olio Vintage
- Encore Boutique
- Succotash Retro
- Love Token
- Turquoise Vintage
- Queenie + Pearl
For more information on the event, check out the Vintage Fall Crawl website or Instagram account.
The officer was chasing a suspect on U.S. 40 in August 2024 when he slammed into the driver’s side of a car, killing Barbara and Bennie Williams.
PLAINFIELD, Ind. — A report by Avon police says a Plainfield officer chasing a suspect was going 100 mph seconds before a crash that killed a couple from Clayton, Indiana, in August 2024.
According to the report, the officer slammed on the brakes 2.5 seconds before impact but still hit the driver’s side of the car going almost 60 miles an hour.
Barbara Williams, 78, and Bennie Joe Williams, 79, were killed in the crash at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Smith Road in Plainfield around 5:45 p.m. Aug. 30. According to the couple’s obituary, the Williamses leave behind four children, 17 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
The incident started on a report of a person down at a Long John Silver’s restaurant. Police said the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Bryan Goodmon, of Fillmore, Indiana, was possibly impaired as he was sitting in a car at the restaurant.
When a Plainfield officer approached Goodmon, he drove away and nearly hit the officer with his car. The officer pursued the vehicle onto U.S. 40, resulting in a brief chase that ended in the crash with the uninvolved vehicle.
According to the police report, “emergency vehicles will outrun their sirens at approximately 55 mph, so it is likely that (the Williamses) did not hear (the officer’s) sirens.”
The report also says that as the Plainfield officer approached the intersection, the traffic light was red for him and the Williamses had a green arrow for their turn. Some intersections are equipped to change when they detect police sirens. That intersection did not have that equipment.
“Emergency vehicles must still drive with due regard even with lights and sirens activated,” the report says. “(The officer) was traveling at a high rate of speed and did not proceed with due regard through the intersection.”
The Avon officer investigating says that the Williamses likely didn’t see the Plainfield cruiser until they were already in the intersection.
On Sept. 4, Goodmon was charged with resisting law enforcement causing death. He was taken into custody 17 days after the crash.
He is being held in the Hendricks County Jail. His trial is scheduled for Nov. 26.
