Minneapolis shooting kills one, injures 11

Gunfire erupted overnight on a Minneapolis street lined with newly reopened bars and restaurants, leaving one person dead and 11 injured.

The shots rang out about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in what the Minneapolis Star Tribune described as “one of the city’s most violent shootings in recent memory.” Officers arrived at the scene in Uptown, a nightlife hot spot, to find people with gunshot wounds and the shooter already gone, the Minneapolis Police Department said in a news release.

Police said the person who died was a man; they did not identify him. Ambulances and private cars took the other victims to hospitals for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

No arrests have been made, though police said they are pursuing several leads.

During a morning news conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo called the shooting “senseless,” part of a rise in violent crime seen in the city over the past few months.

“This is going to take more than just the Minneapolis Police Department,” he said. “The numbers that we are seeing are truly — it’s a public health crisis.”

The shooting unfolded about three miles from the corner store where George Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis police custody, setting off protests and unrest that spread across the nation. Arradondo said there was no indication that the violence in Uptown was connected to Floyd’s killing.

“There was an individual there who showed up and decided to cause harm by firing off a weapon,” the chief said. “So I certainly do not want to disrespect Mr. Floyd’s death and have there be any connection to that.”

He said he had spoken to local FBI officials, who will assist the police force in responding to the city’s increased gun violence, which includes more than 90 people shot since May 26, according to the Star Tribune. Arradondo said Mayor Jacob Frey could consider imposing a curfew, as he did after Floyd’s killing, but he seemed to question the effectiveness of such a step.

“A curfew doesn’t stop an individual from wanting to put a gun in their hands and cause harm to a community,” he said.

The Uptown shooting was reported at 12:37 a.m., with police receiving 911 calls.

In a tweet, the Minneapolis Police Department warned the public to stay away from the scene, near the 2900 block of Hennepin Avenue South. The trendy area buzzes with bars and restaurants, which had started reopening after shutdown orders aimed at stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus were eased in recent days.