Rep. Keith Ellison at 4th Precinct: 'It's our constitutional right to be here'

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Hundreds of protesters once again braved the cold and gathered outside the 4th Precinct on Thursday over the shooting death of Jamar Clark, for the fifth night in a row.  Rep. Keith Ellison flew in from Washington to show his support for the protesters.

“The message is one that it is fair, righteous, and just to let your voice be heard,” Ellison said. "The first amendment says Americans have the right to address grievances of their government.  So this is our constitutional right to be here.”

Also in the crowd outside the 4th Precinct was 11-year-old Taye Clinton, who was maced by Minneapolis police at a Black Lives Matter protest in May.

Despite the calls for peace, a 5-year-old boy and 40-year-old man were shot Thursday afternoon in an apartment just a block next to where Clark died. They'll survive but the shooting added more tension to a community already on edge.

“It’s sad,” community activist John Martin said. “It’s actually sad.  You get emotional. You don't know what to say at all. Sometimes you have to shake your head and say when is the madness going to stop?”

Ellison said he supports calls for a federal investigation, saying it doesn't look right to have police investigating themselves.