Boy, 12, shot in back at Brooklyn Park recreation center
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. -- Police say a 12-year-old boy is recovering after being shot in Brooklyn Park Monday night.
Police said the boy was shot through the the back at Zanewood Recreation Center on Zane Avenue just before 8:30 p.m. They say his injuries are not life-threatening and he is in stable condition.
Officers provided medical aid while getting information from witnesses on the scene. No suspects have been arrested.
Police do not believe the boy was the intended target. Surveillance video shows a group getting into a fight and later shots were fired from across the street.
"We learned earlier that the suspect had been there and got into some sort of confrontation with that group and then had left and came back across the street and fired rounds," said Deputy Chief Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park Police Department
They said the boy is a regular at the rec center and it's open late and is meant to be safe place for kids to gather and have fun.
"When somebody wrecks it like this brings a gun and shoots into a crowd it's extremely disappointing," said Bruley. "It really is the lawlessness that we've seen over the course of 18 months to two years of gun violence in this city and in the metro area as a whole and we really got to come together as a community and take this head on because it's getting to be enough."
Surveillance video captured the entire shooting. Investigators are using that to help them find the person who shot the gun.
Victoria Kates, who lives near the recreation center, told her 11-year-old granddaughter that she wasn't allowed to play in the park after she saw a group of teenagers on the basketball court.
"I don't want my babies out here to die on the streets, what's wrong with us, why we can't fix this," Kates said. She wants parents to do better and keep a closer watch over their children.
Boots-on-the-ground organizations agree. Minnesota Acts Now patrolled the area until a week ago. They know a community cannot police itself away from violence.
"If you know your kids are involved in gang activity, reach out to us so we can reach out to these kids where they are at," said Minnesota Acts Now's Bishop Harding Smith.
Zanewood Recreation Center still plans to be open Tuesday evening. Bruley said they don't plan to step up patrols because this seems to be an isolated incident and officers are around the area all the time already.
Brooklyn Park Mayor Lisa Jacobson called on residents to mentor young people in the community. If you'd like to help, you can click here.