Attorneys: Woman never saw a gun on man shot by task force

MINNEAPOLIS — The woman who was in a vehicle when members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force fatally shot the driver last week said she never saw a gun on the man or in the vehicle, her attorneys said Thursday. The woman’s attorneys, Christopher Nguyen and Racey Rodne, said their client “never saw a gun on Winston Smith leading up to the shooting and she never saw a gun inside the vehicle — at any time.” The attorneys did not release the name of the woman, who was on a lunch date with Smith. Marshals Service said he was wanted for allegedly being a felon in possession of a firearm and that Smith, who was in a parked vehicle, didn’t comply and “produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject.” The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has said evidence indicates Smith fired his gun — a handgun and spent cartridge cases were found inside the car. Nguyen and Rodne said they hope that commitments made by law enforcement to work toward more transparency and accountability since Floyd’s death “will will be borne out through their actions as we work to shine a light on why Winston Smith lost his life last Thursday while on a lunch date.” Jeff Storms, an attorney for Smith’s family, said the government has now heard the “people’s evidence” and the people deserve to hear the government’s evidence in the case.