Reporter Ducks For Cover as Shots Ring Out at George Floyd Square on One Year Anniversary of His Death

Today is the one year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, who was resisting arrest while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police.

This morning, an AP reporter, Philip Crowther, was at the scene where he died, now known as George Floyd Square when shots rang out.

Video tweeted by Crowther shows him ducking down for cover as he was talking about a police reform bill. He exclaims, “We just have to careful here with some gunshots.”

Crowther then tweeted a picture after the incident and said “George Floyd Square very quiet again now. But a fellow reporter just had her phone smashed because she took photos of a storefront hit by a bullet.”

Here’s the moment shots were fired near George Floyd Square earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/NIWRBr6b9Y

— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) May 25, 2021

In another tweet, Crowther noted that he could “see one broken window, apparently from one of the shots fired” and that they “counted 30 [shots] upon looking back at the footage.”

Quick rough footage of the moment we heard shots fired at George Floyd Square. We counted 30 upon looking back at the footage. pic.twitter.com/oxGkLQru9Q

— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) May 25, 2021

It was reported that officers learned a suspect vehicle was seen speeding away from the area and a short time later, a victim showed up at Abbott Northwestern Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim is in critical condition after being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, but expected to survive, according to  Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder.  

In the year since Floyd’s death, the intersection where he was killed, now known as George Floyd Square, remains closed to traffic, and has become an international memorial to Floyd as well as a gathering place for the community.

A daylong celebration at the memorial honoring Floyd’s life on the anniversary of his death is expected scheduled to start at 1 p.m.