Five men were injured in a mass shooting on Monday morning in Minneapolis near the busy Interstate 35W & Lake Street Station.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said it happened at about 11:10 a.m. on East Lake Street and Stevens Avenue.
One man was found with “very serious” life-threatening injuries on a walkway near the transit center, O’Hara said.
A fifth victim, who is said to have been grazed by a bullet, was found some time later near East Lake Street and First Avenue South.
On Aug. 22, two men were shot near Lake Street and Stevens Avenue.
In Minneapolis, a mass shooting occurred Monday morning close to the busy intersection of Lake Street Station and Interstate 35W, injuring five men.
“It occurred at approximately 11:10 a.m.,” said Police Chief Brian O’Hara. M. at Stevens Avenue and East Lake Street.
On a walkway close to the transit center, one man was discovered with “very serious” and potentially fatal injuries, according to O’Hara. Three more were found with survivable injuries; two were located inside the transit center, and one was located close to Stevens Avenue.
Some time later, a fifth victim was discovered close to East Lake Street and First Avenue South, reportedly having been grazed by a bullet. O’Hara claimed that he declined on-site medical care.
North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale received some of the victims, while others were transported to Hennepin Healthcare downtown.
“There’s a dense concentration of people here, but I don’t know why this happened or enough to say that it was targeted,” O’Hara remarked. “There’s a chance that you’ll hit someone you didn’t mean to hit if you’re shooting dozens of rounds into a crowd filled with people. “..”.
Police are still “working to determine the sequence of events,” according to O’Hara, but two sets of casings were discharged, and the Midtown Greenway was the source of the majority of the gunfire, which he said involved “a few dozen” rounds.
O’Hara stated, “At this time, it’s a matter of reviewing a lot of the video evidence and collecting evidence at the scene because we’ve received a number of conflicting stories that do not go together.”.
There were reports of gunfire coming from a car as well, though this hasn’t been verified by evidence yet. He doesn’t know how many shooters were involved.
City workers started erecting what looked like fencing to block off a section close to the transit station on Monday night.
The walkway has been “notable for crime and violence” in the past few months, according to O’Hara.
“In August,”. 18. Behind me on the Greenway, a woman was shot. August. 22, two men were shot close to Stevens Avenue and Lake Street. In addition, there have been other crime issues along this corridor in the immediate area,” he stated. “Those two earlier shooting incidents are still ongoing and open. “,”.
O’Hara explained that although the city does not consider the walkway to be a homeless encampment, it does “have dozens and dozens of people” there every day.
“Anyone who lives down here and has been through here can tell you that this walkway has been awful,” he remarked. “Debris and trash are everywhere. I’m informed that they will depart while people are cleaning, which is done twice a day, but they return right away. “..”.
The investigation is made more difficult by the fact that there are several jurisdictions involved, such as the Greenway, which is owned by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, the ramp and walkway run by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the transit center, which is run by the Metropolitan Council.
In order to address the issues surrounding people gathering in this area, O’Hara stated that the MPD has been collaborating with all of those organizations and held a meeting last week. Since I arrived on the scene, I have spoken with the mayor, and I have informed him that we must act quickly to close this walkway because it has been creating a lot of problems, including the large number of drug-using people gathered here and the related issues that arise at the transit center and along the Lake Street corridor. “.
Recognizing that fencing off the walkway is “not a permanent fix,” Mayor Jacob Frey echoed O’Hara’s call in a statement issued Monday afternoon. “.”.
“We are acting right now to protect the area and take tough measures against the violent criminals and dealers who are abusing it. We will also keep creating avenues for those struggling with addiction to receive the support they require,” Frey stated. “I am grateful to our State partners for collaborating with us to ensure that our residents receive the safety, accountability, and action they deserve.”. “..”.
For months, Jamal Osman, a member of the Minneapolis City Council, has been calling on the city and the Minnesota Department of Transportation to assume accountability for problems such as these.
“People living under the bridge, drivers, and residents are all at risk,” Osman stated in a written statement. It is impossible to overlook issues with public health, violent crime, and traffic safety. We have brought up these concerns time and time again, but nothing concrete has been done. “.”.
He is requesting resources to help those in need find treatment and housing.
Less than three weeks have passed since two consecutive mass shootings in the city before this one. August. 26 A few blocks northeast of the attack site on Monday, a shooting near Clinton Avenue and East 29th Street left one man dead and six others injured. In that case, no one has been taken into custody.
