Police: 2 children, ages 7 and 11, injured by gunfire in north Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS -- Police in Minneapolis are investigating an overnight shooting on the northside that injured two children.
According to police, officers responded shortly after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to the report of gunfire on the 3000 block of Emerson Avenue North.
When officers arrived, they found injured children inside a duplex apartment and treated them at the scene before the ambulance arrived. Police said a 7-year-old girl had a non-life threatening gunshot wound and a 11-year-old boy had a non-life threatening graze wound. They were taken to North Memorial Health Hospital.
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Both children were inside the apartment at the time of the shooting. Police said they located evidence of gunfire from the street outside.
No arrests have been made and the shooting does not appear to be random, MPD said.
The shooting happened a few doors down from Pastor Ronald Nash's Great is Thy Faithfulness church.
"There is another way," Nash said. "This is not the way."
At the church, dozens of free meals are handed out every weekday to people in need. It's part of Nash's goal to become what he calls "a light to shine in the darkness."
"We're trying to make this place to be a safe place, so people can come here and find some hope and peace and find some joy in their lives here," he said. "We can turn some things around. We can recapture some of these blocks and we can take them back."
Nash says the church also has a food shelf, a clothes closet and is looking to start an after-school program.
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In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara called the shooting "outrageous." He said while there are fewer gun violence victims this year compared to this time in 2022, the normalization of gun violence is unacceptable.
"In a city that is rightfully focused on police reform, we also need everyone to come together and do everything possible to end the unacceptable levels of crime and violence that have plagued some of our most vulnerable residents for too long," O'Hara said. "I will ensure the MPD continues to be laser-focused on addressing this problem, and we need everyone involved to do their part."
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers Minnesota at 1-800-222-8477 or visit the website.