The city of Minneapolis experienced two separate shooting homicides and an officer involved shots fired incident late Wednesday overnight into Thursday.
The two fatal shootings occurred on opposite sides of the city and are not believed to be connected, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara in a late-night press briefing.
The first shooting occurred just before 9:30 p.m. on the 2900 block of Emerson Avenue North, where a male in his 20s was found by police lying on a sidewalk with life- threatening gunshot wounds following a Shotspotter activation and calls to 911. Initial available first responder radio dispatches indicated two possible injured parties, but later information from MPD confirmed just one person was shot. The male was transported by ambulance to North Memorial Healthcare but later died. Police said preliminary information indicated that a verbal argument escalated to gunfire and that two other individuals dressed in black fled the scene on foot.
The second shooting occurred about 30 minutes later about 9:50 p.m. on the 800 block of East Franklin Avenue, a location that’s been the site of several homicides this year, as well as other shootings, stabbings, and violent crimes. Officers responded to reports of gunfire and located a woman in her 30s with life-threatening injuries outside on the sidewalk. Medical aid was rendered by officers, but the woman later died after being transported to Hennepin Healthcare. Police said preliminary information indicated that a group of individuals had gathered in the area and a verbal altercation escalated to gunfire. The deceased woman was outside when she was struck by gunfire, and it’s currently unknown if she was involved in the altercation.
There had been no arrests in either shooting as of Thursday morning.
About two-and-a-half hours later at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, police responded to a gun-pointing incident on the 3000 block of 5th Avenue South, where one apartment neighbor was reported to have pointed a gun at the mother of a 911 caller.
MPD said in statements that uniformed officers in marked squads responded to the scene and went to the suspect’s apartment door, where he emerged with a gun in his hand. The suspect did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the gun, and one officer fired two rounds. No one was struck or injured by the gunfire. The suspect was taken into custody and a gun was recovered. The suspect had not been officially identified at the time of this report.
The BCA responded and will lead the criminal investigation and an independent review of the use of force. The involved officer, who has not yet been identified, was placed on standard administrative leave, per MPD policy.
“This incident underscores the dangers our officers face every single day,” said Chief O’Hara. “In a fraction of a second, they were confronted with a life-or-death situation. We are grateful that no one was injured in this incident, and I am very thankful for the professional manner in which our officers handled it.”
The Minneapolis Crime Dashboard lists 60 homicides so far this year, but that number does not include the two Wednesday night homicides. The dashboard indicates the city had 74 homicides through the same point last year.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
