Killing of Winston Boogie Smith

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Killing of Winston Boogie Smith

In the Uptown area of Minneapolis, law enforcement officers fatally shot 32-year-old Winston Boogie Smith Jr. on June 3, 2021, as they tried to arrest him. A U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, with undercover officers from several Minnesota agencies, was pursuing Smith after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The operation took place inside a stationary Maserati on a parking ramp near West Lake Street and Girard Avenue South. The officers did not wear body cameras or have dashcam video at the moment of the shooting.

Smith was inside the car with a female passenger, Norhan Askar. After several minutes of orders to exit the vehicle, Smith refused and picked up an item from the back seat, according to law enforcement. Officers say Smith then brandished a handgun and fired from inside the car. Fifteen rounds were fired by officers, and Smith died at the scene. Askar was injured by flying glass but survived. Police did not report any injuries to officers.

The shooting sparked protests and days of unrest in Minneapolis’ Uptown area. On June 13, a protest-related vehicle ramming killed a demonstrator, Deona Knajdek, and injured others, heightening tensions and leading to renewed calls for transparency.

Initial official statements said Smith had not complied with arrest commands and had shown a firearm. Later investigations found a loaded .380 handgun inside Smith’s vehicle, with ballistic evidence and DNA supporting that Smith fired the weapon during the encounter. The passenger, Askar, said she did not see a gun and that she did not witness the exchange of gunfire, contradicting some early statements.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) conducted the officer-involved shooting investigation and referred the case to Crow Wing County for potential charges. In October 2021, Crow Wing County Attorney Donald Ryan concluded that the officers’ use of deadly force was lawful and no charges would be filed. A second review by the Hennepin County Attorney also declined to prosecute.

For many years, there was no public video of the incident. A private investigation in a civil case recovered a 35-second video later that showed Smith recording himself with his cellphone and then grabbing a handgun from the vehicle before exchanging fire with officers. The video was released publicly in 2025. After reviewing the video, the Hennepin County Attorney again declined to prosecute the officers.

Smith’s background included music and online performances under the name Wince Me Boi. He had prior convictions related to weapons offenses and had been the subject of multiple legal disputes and probation issues. He had posted on social media about police violence and his own legal troubles, and some of his posts suggested support for violence against police.

In the wake of the shooting, authorities and the public debated the use of body cameras. Local agencies paused participation in federal task forces that did not consistently use body cameras. The U.S. Department of Justice later required body cameras for certain warranted arrests and searches, and Minnesota enacted funding to equip officers with body cameras.

Askar filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages for injuries from shattered glass, which was dismissed in 2022. A private investigator hired in mid-2023 recovered the 35-second Smith cellphone video, which was released in 2025. After reviewing the new footage, prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against the officers involved.