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- A man was killed in the midst of a police pursuit Tuesday.
- He was not involved in the incident but was struck by an officer chasing a robbery suspect, the Star Tribune reported.
- The man was identified as the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teen who filmed George Floyd's death in May 2020.
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A man who was killed during a Minneapolis, Minnesota police pursuit was identified as the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded George Floyd's May 2020 death, the Star Tribune reported.
The incident occurred just after midnight on Tuesday morning when a Minneapolis police officer tried to stop a suspect in a stolen car, according to a news release from a police spokesperson.
"The officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle. Instead of stopping, the driver fled, and the officer pursued," police said.
During the pursuit, the officer struck another driver who was traveling westbound and was not connected to the chase, police said. The driver was transferred to a local hospital, where he died.
Another car also got caught up in the collision. The officer who was driving in the chase was also sent to the hospital for medical care for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police did not identify the victim, but the family told WCCO-TV that the deceased driver was Leneal Frazier, Darnella's uncle.
"He was a very good person. He would help you if you needed help. He'll give you the shirt off his back if he had to," Cheryl Frazier told WCCO-TV. "He was always that type of person."
Frazier was awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize special citation last month for recording the video that sparked protests across the world. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the 18-year-old mourned the loss of her uncle.
"Minneapolis police Killed my uncle. MY uncle... Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police! I asked my mom several times, he died??" Frazier wrote. "I couldn't accept what I was hearing and still can't. Some things just take time to process. I'm still in shock, and it hasn't fully hit me yet. I broke down in tears."
Police said in a press release the State Patrol is looking into the matter and the medical examiner's office is expected to release additional information.