MINNEAPOLIS — One man is dead and two other people are in critical condition following a shooting in a north Minneapolis parking lot, according to Minneapolis police.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters Wednesday night that officers are investigating the man's death and as the city's first homicide in 2023. Another man and a woman were also injured in the incident, the details of which, O'Hara said, are scarce.
O'Hara said officers were making a traffic stop around 8:20 p.m. in the area of Lowry and Emerson Avenues North when they said they heard several rounds of gunfire. O'Hara said a ShotSpotter in the area had also detected at least 23 rounds.
Officers in the area, as well as backup officers, responded to the scene, O'Hara said. Crews determined the scene was in the parking lot in front of Gold Star Foods at 818 North Lowry Avenue.
According to O'Hara, the incident began when two men on foot approached a vehicle in the lot, occupied by a man and woman. O'Hara said the situation escalated when one of the men on foot walked up to the driver's side door and opened it. That's when, O'Hara said, the vehicle started pulling away, dragging the man outside with it.
The second man on foot started firing at the vehicle as it drove away, according to Minneapolis police, and fled the scene after the vehicle stopped when it became stuck in a snowbank.
O'Hara said the man who had been caught in the vehicle's driver's side door also tried to flee before collapsing a short distance away. Police say despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
O'Hara claimed a handgun was found near his body.
The driver of the vehicle, a man, and his female passenger were critically injured in the shooting and subsequently brought to the hospital. Officials said the man was taken to North Memorial Hospital and is listed in critical condition. The woman was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and is in critical but stable condition.
Police say they believe at least three firearms were involved, and one is believed to have been semi-automatic.
"We've had a number of shooting incidents over the last few days and obviously that's very concerning for me," O'Hara said. "I think this just speaks volumes to the challenges we're facing... it shows the crisis that we're facing."
O'Hara says the man who fled on foot is still at-large and the case remains open and active.
"We already live in a country with more guns than people, and there are 10 to 20 million more guns entered into circulation each year. It’s an incredible challenge for us to be able to partner with all of the law enforcement and community organizations to take as many guns out of the hands of people who should not have them before situations like this happen," O'Hara told crews on Wednesday night.
The identity and official cause and nature of the victim's death will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
O'Hara says there were about a dozen shootings between the weekend and Wednesday night. According to the city's crime dashboard, 19 people in total were shot so far this year. That's six more than last year at this time.
Thursday, Mayor Jacob Frey told KARE 11 that while "a single victim of gun violence is far too many," it's important to look at the bigger picture.
"Our police officers and Office of Community Safety, through a comprehensive effort, are working like crazy right now to make sure that those numbers are going down and I'll tell you, they are," the mayor said.
Data shows homicides dropped 20% last year, from 93 total in 2021 to 79 in 2022. Still, rates remain above pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, there were 46 on record.
On guns, Frey says he agrees with O'Hara, who he nominated to serve as chief last fall. At the time, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus opposed, calling O'Hara anti-gun.
"When you have this incredible proliferation of both legal and illegal guns that come into the city that is an underlying issue," Frey said Thursday. "We can't ignore it. Guns kill people. They do. Sometimes, guns come into the city by the trunk-load. It requires our officers to do all the more work to get guns off the street and by the way, last year they broke a citywide record. They broke a record in getting guns off the street and they deserve a lot of credit for that."
KARE 11 reached out to the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus for comment and received the following statement:
"We share a common goal with Chief O'Hara in keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them, but we reject his implication that lawful gun ownership is part of the problem.
Mayor Frey's revelation that truckloads of firearms are coming into the city is shocking. We are anxious to see more information about these truckloads, and hope there is strong prosecution of the individuals illegally trafficking those firearms, crimes that are rarely prosecuted in Minneapolis.
Whether it's trunk-load or truck-load the sentiment is the same, the criminals trafficking firearms are routinely under-sentenced or not prosecuted."
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