Feds Charge Man in firearm incident at Popular Gay Bar

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — (12-02-22) — A Minneapolis man has been charged with a felony after allegedly pulling out a gun and threatening staff at a popular gay bar in the Loring Park neighborhood.

Hennepin County prosecutors say Conell Walter Harris, 29, entered the 19 Bar in Loring Park late Monday where staff and customers said he was “acting strangely,” according to court documents.

When one of the 19 Bar employee’s asked to see his ID, Harris allegedly became upset. Following his attitude, a bartender asked him to leave the bar.

Harris then allegedly refused, pulled out a gun, and threatened staff members. Police said in court documents that a patron of the 19 Bar got between Harris and the bartender in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Police say Harris yelled profanities at the staff — including an anti-gay slur — before exiting the bar. He came back in and started playing pool just before officers arrived.

Police say Harris resisted arrest and repeatedly reached into his sweatshirt pocket, where officers allegedly recovered a .45 caliber Glock.

Harris is charged with making violent threats and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Federal prosecutors also charged Harris with illegal gun possession and a judge ordered that he be held without bail.

The incident happened less than two weeks after a gunman killed five people and injured at least 25 others at the the LGBTQ nightclub, Club Q, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Article by: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer

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