Group holds forum ahead of BCA meeting on Thurman Blevins shooting

(KMSP) - More than two weeks after Thurman Blevins was shot and killed by two Minneapolis police officers, his family is speaking out and demanding answers.

The community held a forum Wednesday night to discuss the case, just ahead of a meeting with the head of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the agency investigating the shooting.

“I’m sad to see that we’re in this space,” said Melinda Blevins, Thurman's cousin.

"What I know about my brother is that he was an angel," Joshua Blevins added.

Weeks after the shooting, the group remains unrelenting in its calls for justice. Among a long list of demands, they’re asking for the release of police body camera video and an independent investigation.

“In what I witnessed, the guy didn’t have a gun sitting on the curb in that corner,” witness James Lark said.

On June 23, authorities responded to a report of a man firing a handgun in north Minneapolis. Officers chased Blevins into an alley and opened fire.

Minneapolis Police Union President, Lieutenant Bob Kroll believes that once the BCA completes its investigation, the officers will be cleared.

“He had a gun. He had it on him and I think the investigation will reveal that he leveled a gun at officers,” Kroll said.

In the meantime, the Blevins family said they will continue to bring attention to the case.

“I want you to know that I don’t have all the answers for what’s wrong in the world. I’m only one voice, but I’m going to make sure I represent Junior because he did not deserve what happened to him. No one deserves to die like that,” Melinda Blevins said.