A WCCO reporter called Minneapolis the “wild, wild west” after witnessing a drive-by shooting on a busy street in the city.
WCCO’s Reg Chapman shared in a Facebook post that he and a coworker were driving down Hennepin Avenue Monday night near the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden when a car in the lane next to them opened fire.
Chapman wrote that a “young man” was “hanging out of the passenger side window” of a car as another vehicle closely followed the car.
“Within seconds, the passenger in the trailing car opens fire, shooting at the car with the young man hanging out the window,” Chapman said.
“Something has to change,” he continued. “It’s the wild, wild west on the busiest street in Minneapolis.”
The post has 600 shares and almost a thousand reactions from concerned citizens who are glad no one was hurt.
Bring Me The News reported that a call was made to the Minneapolis Police Department which seemed to align with Chapman’s account. The witness said they saw two cars speeding on Lyndale Avenue toward Hennepin Avenue at that time and heard a gunshot, but did not see a weapon.
Minneapolis has experienced an increase in violent crime over the past year, with 47 homicides in the city this year alone. Almost all 47 occurred within three miles of downtown.
A court recently ordered the city of Minneapolis to hire more police officers in order to meet the city charter, which requires 0.0017 officers per resident, or at least 730 officers. In court proceedings, the city predicted that the MPD would have only 669 at this time next year if the city doesn’t act now.
Rose Williams
Rose Williams is an assistant editor for Alpha News.
