Minneapolis Mayor Seeks Calm After Boy, 10, Hit by Police Bullet

The mayor tried to calm a neighborhood Friday that erupted in violence after a 10-year-old boy was hit by a bullet that ricocheted from a police officer’s gun.

Tensions between the community’s black residents and police already were high after an incident last week in which police shot a 19-year-old black man who allegedly pointed a gun at an officer.

The boy’s wounding unleashed a torrent of emotion. Dozens of people shouted at police, smashed windows and assaulted members of the media covering the shooting.

“Certainly last night gave an example of the anger that is involved in the community. We need to address that,” Mayor R.T. Rybak said Friday after meeting with community leaders and visiting the boy in the hospital.

The boy, who is black, was wounded Thursday night after an officer shot at a pit bull that had been turned loose on police who were serving a search warrant at a house. The bullet hit concrete and ricocheted into the boy’s arm.