By Canadian Press

Jury convicts man who wounded black protesters in Minnesota

Feb 1, 2017 | 2:00 PM

MINNEAPOLIS — A jury on Wednesday convicted a Minnesota man of assault for opening fire and wounding five black men demonstrating against the fatal shooting of a black man by Minneapolis police officers.

Allen Scarsella, 24, of Bloomington, was found guilty of assault and riot charges. Scarsella showed no emotion as the Hennepin County jury’s verdict was read.

Scarsella was accused of shooting and injuring the men at a Black Lives Matter protest after the death of Jamar Clark in 2015.

Scarsella and three other men, all wearing face masks, went into an encampment outside a police station in north Minneapolis to livestream Black Lives Matter protests that had closed down a city block. Scarsella brought a .45-calibre handgun and fired at demonstrators in what his attorneys say was self-defence. Prosecutors cited a number of texts Scarsella had sent to friends about shooting black people and accused the men of being white supremacists and trying to disrupt the protest.

Scarsella, who is white, testified he was afraid of being attacked while filming the protest on the night of Nov. 23, 2015. He said a group of protesters accused him of being in the Ku Klux Klan and that someone had already punched him in the face. Scarsella said he and his friends tried to leave the protest but a group of men followed them and one pulled out what appeared to be a weapon, prompting Scarsella to open fire.

The Creative Edge

PEARCE: Move to learn - how physical activity boosts brain, mood and school success

Jul 07, 2026

Question of the Week

Do you support the prospect of a new oil pipeline running through the Kamloops area?

Jul 06, 2026

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 WAYS TO HEAL: Every human being needs a tribe

Jul 06, 2026

The three other Minnesota men — Daniel Macey of Pine City, Nathan Gustavsson of Hermantown and Joseph Backman of Eagan — are charged with second-degree riot and aiding an offender. All three have pleaded not guilty and await trial. In December, attorneys for the three men denied that their clients are racist. Macey is Asian, the others are white.

Hennepin County Assistant Attorney Judith Hawley said one of the shooting victims, Tevin King, was shot in the abdomen and that the bullet is too close to his arteries to be removed.

Hannah Weikel, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Click here to report an error or typo in this article

Jury convicts man who wounded black protesters in Minnesota

Our Community