US police shoot man dead during traffic stop, protesters gather

WASHINGTON: Police in Minneapolis shot a man dead during a traffic stop on Wednesday, seven months after the killing of George Floyd by an officer in the same US city.

It comes amid an increase in violent crime in the Midwestern city, which was convulsed by protests following Floyd's death.

No details about the shooting victim, or the officers involved, were immediately available.

"Initial witness statements indicate that the subject involved in this felony stop fired first at Minneapolis police officers who then exchanged gunfire with the suspect," Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo said in a press briefing.

Body cameras were activated during the incident and the footage would be released on Thursday, Arradondo added.

People gathered at the site outside a gas station in the southern part of the city after the shooting and police urged people to avoid "destructive criminal behavior".

"We want to do everything we can to protect everyone's First Amendment rights to freely assemble and demonstrate but I say again, we cannot allow for destructive criminal behavior. Our city has gone through too much," Arradondo said.

A passenger in the car with the man who was shot was unharmed, as was the police officer involved.

Floyd died on May 25 when now-fired officer Derek Chauvin held his knee to Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes in an incident that sparked nationwide unrest.

Much of the country was stunned by a bystander video which showed Floyd pleading for his life, saying "I can't breathe," before he went limp and died.

Floyd's death touched off riots and demonstrations in Minneapolis, neighboring Saint Paul and across the country over police mistreatment of African-Americans.