Six people were shot and killed in Minneapolis among a dozen people shot in several incidents that took place from late Tuesday and into Wednesday, and one person has been arrested in connection to four of the deaths.
Some of the incidents are believed to be connected to gang activity, according to a statement released by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) early Wednesday.
The statement by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara followed a mass shooting incident late Tuesday at 25th and Bloomington Avenue South where five people were shot. Three of the injured parties died at the scene and two others, a male and female, were transported to HCMC, both of them with potentially life-threatening injuries. Early Friday morning, MPD released a statement saying that a fourth person from the mass shooting, the 28-year-old male, had died from his injuries.
Following several more shootings overnight and into the day Wednesday, two of them resulting in two more fatalities, MPD released the following statement Thursday laying out the shooting events that led to six homicides:
“Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed a third fatal shooting incident in less than 24 hours, bringing the total number of homicides during that span to five [this statement was issued prior to the sixth victim dying].
First Incident – East 25th Street
Shortly before midnight on April 29, officers responded to multiple 911 calls and ShotSpotter activations in the 1500 block of East 25th Street. They discovered five victims. Two men and one woman were pronounced dead at the scene. Another man and woman sustained injuries and were transported for emergency medical care. (GO #25-112008) [The 28-year-old male died after this statement was issued].
Second Incident – Cedar Avenue South
At approximately 1:00 p.m. on April 30, officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 2100 block of Cedar Avenue South. A man in his 30s was found lying in the street with life-threatening gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. A bullet from this incident also struck an unrelated SUV, narrowly missing two small children seated in the back. (GO #25-112451)
Third Incident – 15th Avenue South
Around 7:45 p.m. on April 30, officers were alerted to gunfire in the 3000 block of 15th Avenue South via ShotSpotter. Responding officers found a man in his 50s with life-threatening gunshot wounds. He was transported to Hennepin Healthcare, where he later died. (GO#25-112872)
There have been no arrests. Investigators are working to determine whether these incidents are connected. Initial information suggests none of the shootings appears to be random.
‘The level of violence this city has experienced in less than 24 hours is infuriating. Each individual act causes immense grief and tears families apart,’ O’Hara said. ‘The MPD has deployed additional resources to increase police presence in the areas most affected. We’ve met with community leaders to hear their concerns and identify urgent, collaborative strategies for a strong community and law enforcement response. That work will continue in the days ahead. We must confront this head-on—and together.’
In response to these incidents, Minneapolis Mayor Frey has directed the Office of Community Safety (OCS) and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to deploy every available resource to bring the perpetrators to justice and support the community. The City and MPD are working closely with all available federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. Minneapolis Neighborhood Community Relations (NCR) is collaborating with MPD, OCS, and the Native community. Additional patrols and technical resources have been added in the Phillips neighborhood, and efforts are underway to identify potential community needs for trauma response that the city could support.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will release the names of the deceased and the official causes and manners of death.
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Thursday evening, Chief O’Hara announced during a press conference the arrest of James Duane Ortley, 34, suspected in the mass shooting at 25th and Bloomington Avenue. The arrest took place in the Cedar-Riverside area with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI.
Ortley has a violent crime history and was arrested in February as a suspect in a series of violent Minneapolis robberies. However, he was released without being charged two days later.
Chief O’Hara said the investigation is ongoing into all of the recent shootings, but said he didn’t believe Ortley was connected to a non-fatal shooting that occurred a short time after the mass shooting, nor to the Wednesday night shooting homicide at 15th and East Lake Street. The shooting homicide that occurred midday Wednesday at 21st and Cedar Avenue is believed to be connected to the mass shooting, the chief said, but Ortley is not believed to be the shooter in that case.
One of the decedents in the Bloomington Avenue mass shooting has been publicly identified by friends as convicted murderer Evan Ramon Denny, 27, who several sources told Crime Watch was an established Native Mob gang member. Denny was released from prison last year following a second-degree murder conviction in a 2016 Columbia Heights shooting homicide. Photos on Ortley’s public Facebook page show him alongside known Native Mob gang member Dakota Lafave, prior to Lafave’s 30-year incarceration for racketeering in 2019.
There have been several other shootings since Sunday, including at least one other homicide, that were not mentioned in the chief’s Thursday statement, but at least two occurred in the same area on Sunday.
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Automatic gunfire audio from the shooting Sunday night at Little Earth. We'll be watching to see if this was connected to the series of shootings this week that resulted in several homicides.pic.twitter.com/pflzN3xCAY— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) May 2, 2025
Alpha News will continue to follow developments and charges in the cases.
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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.
