1 killed in double shooting at south Minneapolis homeless encampment, police say
MINNEAPOLIS — One man is dead and another is seriously injured after a shooting at a homeless encampment in south Minneapolis Wednesday morning, police said.
The shooting occurred in an alleyway on the 2500 block of 17th Avenue South, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. Responding officers found one man shot in the head and another shot in the neck. The man shot in the head, who was in his 20s, died at the scene, police said. The other man, who is in his 30s, was hospitalized but is expected to survive.
Police recovered one gun at the scene, but don't believe it was fired, so they suspect a third person was the shooter.
"We do not have a motive at this time, but we do have significant information on a potential suspect who may be our shooter," O'Hara said.
The chief said this is "probably the third shooting we've had associated with this particular encampment" and police will clear it once the crime scene has been processed.
"There's been way too much crime and violence this year and way too much associated with homeless encampments," O'Hara said.
One neighbor said she's at her wit's end.
"No, it doesn't surprise me at all, because we've had gunfire and illegal activity for months," Linda Leonard said. "There's no control over anything that's going on ... Even some of the people living there have said, 'We can't live there anymore.'"
On Tuesday, city leaders — including O'Hara — met with frustrated community members to discuss public safety. The meeting came after a tragic few days in Minneapolis, which included a 16-year-old girl being killed in a hit-and-run and a 14-year-old boy getting shot.
This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO for more information.
