Police: Boy, 11, In Critical Condition After Shooting In North Minneapolis

UPDATE: A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover medical expenses for the child, who has been identified as Ladavionne Garrett Jr.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis police are investigating a shooting involving a child Friday afternoon. According to police spokesman John Elder, the incident occurred in the area of 34th Avenue North and Morgan Avenue North around 2 p.m.

Elder said that a "massive number of rounds" were fired into a car with a child inside. Soon after, a boy arrived at North Memorial Hospital in very critical condition. Family members told WCCO that the boy is 11 years old.

The boy was in surgery at North Memorial as of 6:15 p.m.

At this point, police do not know who fired the shots, and why they were targeting that particular car.

Three of the bullets went into the front side of Sarah Anderson's home on 35th and Morgan Avenue in North Minneapolis.

"I was on the couch right on the inside on the other side of the window where there is a bullet hole in my house," Anderson said.

Fortunately none of the bullets went all the way through the wall and she wasn't hurt. But for her, it's less about the damage to her home and more about the recovery of the 11-year-old who was hit.

There were over a dozen gun shell casings in the middle of the intersection where the shooting happened.

After the shooting, the person driving the car didn't even wait to call 911; they just drove immediately to the hospital to get the victim help.

LaDon Braxton is with the neighborhood activist group We Push For Peace. They make sure to come to gun violence crime scenes like Friday's to de-escalate and help grieving families.

Since the start of the year, Minneapolis Police Department records show that gunshot injuries in the city have more than doubled. It's the worst first four months in more than a decade for shooting victims.

Braxton says the hardest part of his job is talking to kids in the neighborhood about what they witnessed.

"It's very hard to even explain to them what's going on and explain to them, 'It's safe for y'all to come outside,'" Braxton said.

There is no indication that there is a threat to the public, Elder said. Police are asking anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers of Minnesota.