Man shot at Minneapolis City Hall sentenced to more than 6 years in prison

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A man who tried to attack Minneapolis police officers at City Hall last year is heading to prison. 

Marcus Fischer will spend more than six years in prison for attempting to attack police with a knife. The officers say they shot him to protect themselves and stop him from killing himself, but his family says police did not do enough to prevent the tragedy. 

“How did they not find that knife?” said Eric Fischer, the suspect’s father. “How was he allowed that knife inside the interrogation room?”

Last December, Marcus, then 18, was being questioned about a shooting in northeast Minneapolis when he took out a knife and started stabbing himself, refusing to drop the weapon.

“There is no reason two grown men couldn't take him down and arrest him that way,” said Eric. “They didn't have to shoot him.”

Marcus later admitted to lunging at the officers. He pleaded guilty to first degree assault and illegal gun possession as part of a plea deal. On Tuesday, Marcus was sentenced to 74 months in prison for shooting a man in the chest while trying to buy a gun.  

“He was doing everything he was supposed to do as a young man,” his father said. “To get wrapped up in a whole situation that happened is not like him.” 

The sentence was part of a plea deal, but Eric says he wishes his son would have gone to trial.

“He just said he's ready to face up to what he did and he's just ready to move on to the next chapter of his life,” his father said. 

Eric told Fox 9 he encouraged his son to finish high school while behind bars and advised him to learn a trade to help him find a job when he gets out.