MINNEAPOLIS  — The man accused of shooting five men protesting the death of a black man by Minneapolis police has testified he was acting in self-defense.

Twenty-four-year-old Allen Scarsella took the witness stand Monday and said a group of protesters were shouting threats at him as he walked away from the larger demonstration outside the 4th Precinct station in November 2015. Scarsella says a protester had already punched him in the face and he feared the men intended to hurt him some more, so he fired in self-defense.