St. Paul Police HQ Locked Down after Protests

St. Paul, MN – The St. Paul police headquarters has been locked down since Thursday night following protests of the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile.

The Pioneer Press reported that the decision was made as a precaution when protests were underway in the city, including outside of the governor's mansion and at JJ Hill Montessori School.

The lockdown began at 9 p.m., about the same time two snipers shot police officers in Dallas, killing five officers and wounding seven others. The Dallas shooting took place during a rally to protest the police killings of Castile and one other black man earlier this week.

Police spokesman Steve Linders said St. Paul police decided to lock down headquarters before officers were shot and killed in Dallas.

On their Facebook page, St. Paul police reported that during last night's demonstration in front of the governor’s mansion on Summit Avenue, some in attendance broke away from the gathering and made their way onto Grand Avenue and broke windows on an unoccupied police vehicle and damaged a window of a Grand Avenue business.

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