Photo: Instagram
He posted to Facebook moments before it went down.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Sep 12, 2019
I'm a white woman. While life being female isn't always easy, I will never be able to fully understand just how much the color of my skin has kept me from experiencing prejudice and mistreatment. For many people, everyday activities like getting behind the wheel of a car and driving to work can become one of the most dangerous things they will ever do simply because of the color of their skin. This has got to change. Who is Brian Quinones? Brian was a dad, an immigrant and a hard worker with dreams of making it big in the world of hip hop before he was shot and killed in an incident with police.
1. Meet Brian Quinones
Brian Quinones, aspiring hip-hop artist, proud dad, and barber was shot by police in Richfield, Minnesota after leading the authorities on a high-speed chase that began when he ran a red light. Brian streamed the entire chase and his own death on Facebook Live. The 30-year-old was originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico and made his home in Minneapolis. Brian, whose full name was Brian Jesus Quinones-Rosario, was mourned by his friends, families and his community in a vigil that took place on September 8th, the day after he was shot and killed. The vigil transformed into a protest which took over a local stretch of the interstate where those gathered began to chant "enough is enough".
2. What Happened That Night
Brian started running his Facebook Live stream about 12 to 15 minutes before he was killed. The video starts out unremarkably enough, with Brian singing and listening to some of his favorite music. The stream captures him running one red light but the moment when the video goes from unremarkable to a high-speed chase is blink and you miss it fast. Suddenly, he turns the camera to his own face and you can make out the lights of the police vehicles. He is aware he is being chased in the video but seems unsurprised. Eventually, he leaps out of the car and you can hear seven gunshots followed by five more of them. Eventually the stream is stopped by the police.
3. What The Police Said
The police issued a statement but have been relatively close-lipped on the matter except for offering their thoughts and prayers. “On Saturday, Sept. 7 at 10:22 p.m. a police pursuit that began in Edina, ended in an officer involved shooting near the intersection of 77th Street East and Chicago Avenue in Richfield. The incident involved officers from the Edina and Richfield Police departments. No officers were injured during the incident. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation. The Edina and Richfield Police Departments express our thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this tragic incident. Because this is an active investigation, neither police department can comment,” said the statement.
4. Feeling His Loss
According to the local news in the area, Brian worked a few different jobs, including one as a barber and another where he worked at General Mills on the night shit. Perhaps the job of which he was the proudest was his role as a father to a 12-year-old son. Brian was a “musician, he was a barber, he was such a humble person. He just wanted to be heard," according to his brother. It wasn't just his family who will miss the man. Hassan Qarei, a coworker at General Mills, is feeling his loss keenly. I lost my brother. He was my brother,” said Hassan. “A great person. Everybody in company loved him, he had a great heart.” Just an hour before his death, Brian cryptically posted to Facebook the words "so sorry."
5. Eerie Coincidences Taking Shape
In the Facebook Live stream and according to the police, Brian was holding a knife when he was in the car and when he got out. This fact combined with the strange postings he made on social media seemed predict his own death. On Facebook, he wrote, “In life… There are pivotal moments that propel you. Moments you’ve strived for since your inception. Moments that quite frankly you’re 1. Not ready for and 2. Too afraid to capture,” he wrote. “You’ll feel and know when that moment has arrived. At that point its fight or flight in an instant. I wholeheartedly pray you fight through. Otherwise you’ll look in that rearview and realize you’ve reached your destination before you enjoyed your final sunset. ‘These Days I’m Much More Grateful.'”
6. The Aspiring Musician
While Brian may be gone, his music lives on. Using the service Soundcloud, Brian released music under the name “Blessed the MC.” His profile reads: “I am an aspiring Hip Hop artist. My music is my interpretation of the world. I see the good as I do the evil. My lyrics can be profound at times, witty, catchy, inspiring, and everything inbetween. My inspiration comes from artists such as J Cole, Kanye, Jay Z, DMX, Jay Electronica, Kid Cudi, King Kendrick, Ab-Soul, Loaded Lux, Luda, Bone Thugz, Charles Hamilton, Nas, Tech N9ne, Eminem & the list goes on. No disrespect to the greats if I forgot them.My name ‘Blessed the MC’ comes from my perspective. They say you are what you think. Therefore, I am Blessed. I acknowledge my Gods gifts & it plays into the law of attraction. Please check out my music. I really give it my entire heart. Thank you & feel free to talk. I am only human. Cheers.”
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime.