"These are our babies. I'm tired of funerals": 9 shot within 5 hours, 2 fatally
MINNEAPOLIS -- It was a violent night in Minneapolis, where nine people were shot within five hours of each other. Two of the victims died.
Two of the shootings happened on the north side and the last shooting happened outside a bar on Washington Avenue.
A shotspotter and 911 calls alerted police to the first shooting, which happened just after 8:00 Thursday night. Officers found a 16-year-old boy with gunshot wounds, lying in a parking lot near Knox and Plymouth Avenues. The teenager was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
"This is a tragic loss of a 16-year-old young man. It's a level of violence that's not only concerning, it's angering," said Garrett Parten, spokesman for Minneapolis Police.
Less than an hour later, 3 men and 1 woman were shot on Broadway Avenue near Winner Gas. One of the victims was Trelisa McCray's 24-year-old son. She got worried when he didn't answer his phone.
"I fell to my knees. By the grace of God my son is still alive. But he's not a bad kid. He's not," said McCray. "This gun violence has to stop."
The shooting prompted a crowd to gather at two businesses on Friday morning.
Activists and community leaders first blocked off Winner Gas. And then, a short time later, they moved across the street to block off Merwin Liquors. They said both businesses haven't done enough to help stop gun violence. Activists demanded that they either add more security, or close their doors for good.
"While we are always talking about what the police do, there are things we have to do," said Rev. Jerry McAfee, New Salem Baptist Church. "These are our kids. These are our babies. I'm tired of funerals. They got to get jobs. For those of us on the block we have to get our hands on them to help them to the best of our ability."
"We have to come together. It's not about race. It's not about class. It's about everybody knowing their place and helping," said another community member.
A third shooting happened just after 1 a.m. Friday at Bullwinkle's on Washington Avenue, near Seven Corners. A fight at a private party led to four people shot, including a man in his 30s, who later died. Another man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
"We need to take a stand. It is time to take back our communities once and for all And it can't be done by five, six, or 10 people. Everybody has to come out," said Donna Anderson, with A Mother's Love.
Anderson is talking about Open Streets on Broadway Avenue this weekend, a celebration where she would like to see community members come together and support each other.