Topline
A self-described member of the far-right, anti-government “Boogaloo Bois” has been charged with participating in a riot after prosecutors said he fired 13 rounds from an AK-47 into a Minneapolis police building a few days after the death of George Floyd, as evidence grows that white supremacists and members of far-right groups played a role in fueling some of the unrest after Floyd’s death.
Protesters cheer as the Third Police Precinct burns behind them on May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis. … [+] (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Ivan Harrison Hunter, 26, with one count of participating in a riot.
According to prosecutors, on May 28, Hunter fired 13 rounds from an AK-47 into the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building, shouting “Justice for Floyd!” after firing the rounds.
At the time of the shooting, there were people inside the building, believed to be looters, prosecutors said.
Hunter traveled from his home in Texas to Minneapolis with the intention of participating in a riot, according to prosecutors.
Rioters would burn the Third Precinct building that night, along with other buildings in the area, in one of the most vivid displays of unrest following Floyd’s death on May 25.
Crucial Quote
“The Boogaloo Bois are a loosely-connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments,” prosecutors said in a news release. “The term ‘Boogaloo’ itself references an impending second civil war in the United States and is associated with violent uprisings against the government.”
Key Background
President Donald Trump has consistently blamed the loosely-organized leftist group antifa for causing rioting in U.S. cities after Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody, but it appears right-wing groups had a major role in inciting the unrest. Several affiliates of white supremacist and far-right groups have since been charged for their role in the rioting after Floyd’s death. Accusations of unrest caused by the far-right have continued, such as when a caravan of Trump supporters rode into Portland, Oregon in August, leading to deadly unrest. Also in late August, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who made posts sympathetic with the far-right on social media, allegedly traveled from his home in Illinois to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he shot three protesters, killing two.
Tangent
One of the most notable examples of a member of a white supremacist group inciting a riot after Floyd’s death is that of a 32-year-old man nicknamed “Umbrella Man.” He was seen in a video in May smashing storefront windows and encouraging protesters to loot while holding a black umbrella. Minneapolis police said protests had been “relatively peaceful” up until “Umbrella Man.”