MnDOT says encampment near downtown Minneapolis will close after fatal shooting
MINNEAPOLIS -- The state says it's clearing out a Minneapolis homeless encampment after a man died in a shooting there Thursday morning.
The encampment sits just outside of downtown, near 15th Avenue South and 6th Street South in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Police say the shooting happened just before 6:30 a.m. First responders tried to save the man, but he died at Hennepin Healthcare. Officers have not arrested anyone.
The man was identified as 27-year-old Adnan Mohamed Ali.
Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman, who represents that neighborhood, says he has been begging Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for months to take action at the encampment.
"I am disgusted at how the state has willfully ignored and disregarded my community," Osman said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.
Now, because of the safety concerns, MnDOT says they plan to close it, but didn't say when. They say they're working to get people living there information about shelters and services.
Here is MnDOT's full statement:
MnDOT has always maintained that highway right-of-way is not a safe place for human beings to live. As always when responding to the urgent, complex needs of people experiencing homelessness, MnDOT has coordinated over the last few months with local partners to share information about shelter beds and services and provide sanitation services at this specific site.
Due to increasing safety concerns, MnDOT plans to close this site. Closing an encampment site and ensuring the safety of unhoused people in the site as well as our staff requires careful planning and coordination between multiple local partners. Today's fatal shooting underscores the importance of that careful planning and of ensuring information about services and shelter beds are provided. MnDOT continues to coordinate with local and state partners on safety at this site.
