Man arrested after shooting AR-15 inside south Minneapolis home, police say
Police say an armed man was taken into custody late Tuesday morning after he fired an AR-15 inside a home while experiencing a mental health crisis.
According to police, the incident happened around 10:45 a.m. at a home on the 3100 block of Fourth Avenue South. The owner of the home called 911 to report that there was a man in his house who was armed with a gun.
During the course of the phone call, the owner reported that he was going to shoot the person inside the home who had the gun, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said.
Officers could hear gunfire when they arrived to the home, O'Hara added. He said that there were three children in the home at the time, who were able to escape as police arrived.
Officers were then able to secure the scene and contact the person with the gun, who agreed to come outside. He dropped the AR-15 on the porch and was taken into custody, O'Hara said.
The police chief said the man appeared to be a person with a history of mental health struggles, who was able to get a hold of the gun, which legally belonged to the owner of the home.
Police say the man had two 30-round magazines with him at the time, and they believe at least a dozen rounds were fired in the basement.
"It could have been bad," O'Hara said. "Certainly something that we don't want any of our officers or anyone from the community to face."
O'Hara said the owner of the home is believed to be the uncle of the man in crisis.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
