MINNEAPOLIS — Three men were shot in Minneapolis early Thursday morning leaving one dead and two others hospitalized, one of them in life-threatening condition.
Minneapolis police say officers were called to the area around 1st Avenue North and 4th Street North just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday on reports of a fight.
As squads arrived in the area the fight escalated into a gun battle. Police said some of the gunfire came from fully automatic weapons.
Officers arriving on scene found one man that had been fatally shot. No further information has been released about this man.
A second man in his 40s was found in the area with multiple, potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds. Police said they then encountered a third man with injuries they call "non life-threatening." Officers gave these men medical care until crews with fire and EMS arrived. The men were then taken to a local hospital.
Police said as they cared for the two injured men other officers worked to secure the scene and manage a "chaotic crowd."
One person has been arrested in connection with this homicide. Police spokesman Officer Garrett Parten told KARE 11 the man was seen running from the area after the shooting. Parten said officers found a gun on the suspect during his arrest, and confiscated a second weapon at the scene.
Officials are not sure at this time what may have caused the fight.
"We have disputes, it appears, in several of the cases that we've been looking at disputes that escalate into gunfire," Parten said. "And what we can say about those disputes, if it wasn't for the guns, they'd end very differently, especially the one tonight. A life very likely would not have been lost."
"The best thing to do is to walk away if you're angry, walk away, figure out a way to communicate later on. But put the guns down. Because the loss of life. It's just not acceptable. At any age, it's not acceptable," Parten implored.
This is the 50th homicide for 2022 in Minneapolis.
MORE NEWS: Teen shot in face in north Minneapolis
Watch the latest morning headlines with our YouTube playlist: