A violent week ends as three Minneapolis teenagers are shot in a 4-day span
MINNEAPOLIS — Three Minneapolis teenagers were shot in a span of four days concluding a particularly violent week in the Twin Cities.
"It was like really a quick several rounds," said Minneapolis resident Kim Choyke.
Choyke has lived in the northeast Minneapolis area for 10 years and says she loves it, but Friday's early morning shooting says the shooting has left her shaken up.
"Very upsetting having it be almost literally in my backyard," Choyke said.
Early Friday morning, a 14-year-old boy was shot outside a gas station in northeast Minneapolis while sitting inside an SUV. He later died at the hospital.
On Monday, two 15-year-old boys were shot in Minneapolis.
Investigators say the two teens shot Monday were inside of a stolen Kia. The same vehicle was spotted driving recklessly and running red lights before the shooting.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says last weekend, 90 cars were stolen, 70 of them Kia's.
"Just this overlap, stolen Kia's, stolen Hyundai's, illegal guns, violent crime is really just producing a lot of harm," O'Hara said.
Going into the weekend, O'Hara says a new strategy is in place where juvenile investigators are on call 24/7.
"Clearly there is a need to have juvenile investigators available all the time because we are having these crimes happen at all different times around the clock," O'Hara said.
A coordinated response to hopefully save some young lives.
"We are hopeful that will also help us get our hands around some of these issues," said O'Hara.