(The Center Square) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is preparing to send state troopers to Minnesota in response to a request for assistance after a week of protests.
Minnesota public safety officers were fired upon on Sunday morning.
An OSHP officer confirmed to The Center Square that Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota State Patrol requested additional assistance.
The Minnesota National Guard and Minneapolis Police Department neighborhood security team said it was fired upon Sunday morning near 4:19 am.
One guardsman sustained an injury from shattered glass, requiring additional hospital care. Another guardsman received only superficial injuries.
“I am relieved to know none of our Guardsmen were seriously injured,” Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, Minnesota National Guard adjutant general, said in a statement.
“This event highlights the volatility and tension in our communities right now. I ask for peace as we work through this difficult time,” he added.
The Minnesota National Guard is activated as part of Operation Safety Net, a coalition including the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and local jurisdictions.
The Minnesota National Guard was activated to prevent widespread rioting during the Derek Chauvin trial as well as the aftermath of the fatal, police-involved shooting during a traffic stop of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center on April 11.
The local police chief, who has resigned, said he believes the officer meant to draw a Taser but mistakenly drew and fired her gun instead.
The request for assistance is being made through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid partnership between states.
Over the weekend, Gov. Tim Walz asked legislative leaders to pass roughly $9 million in public safety spending to handle civil unrest and pay troopers from other states. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said the Senate plans to approve the bill and send it to the DFL-dominated House, where its unclear if there’s an agreement.
EMAC requires the state requesting assistance to reimburse the assisting state for all eligible costs at the end of the support mission. Those costs include expenses related to personnel, transportation, lodging, meals, and equipment.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol group is expected to head to Minnesota sometime this week.
