MINNEAPOLIS — A man suspected of killing two people in separate shootings Wednesday in south Minneapolis has been arrested.
Police announced the arrest just hours after a man was shot in the Minneapolis' Phillips neighborhood, just blocks away from a deadly shooting that occurred just 12 hours earlier.
Minneapolis Police say the latest shooting occurred at around 4:15 p.m. in an alleyway near an encampment at Bloomington Avenue and East 25th Street. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said that early investigations indicate that a group of individuals walked past the victim, and shot him in the head. The victim is believed to be in his 30s, according to officials.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined O'Hara at a press conference Wednesday evening and spoke about the ongoing safety concerns surrounding encampments throughout the city.
"We need to start being honest about this," said Frey. "Our neighbors here are crying out for help."
The shooting occurred just a few blocks from another shooting Wednesday morning at 17th Avenue South and 26th Street.
Minneapolis police attended a community meeting Tuesday night at the nearby American Indian Center where residents expressed frustration at the levels of violence and drug activity in and surrounding the encampment.
"This is the second murder within 12 hours at an encampment in this neighborhood after we were just at a community meeting last night at the American Indian Center hearing from residents about how frustrated they are with the conditions around encampments in this neighborhood," O'Hara said. "The police department wants people to know that we hear your concerns."
O'Hara released statistics about crimes near encampments, saying about 19% of all the gun violence in the precinct and nearly one-quarter of all shooting victims in the precinct were within about 500 feet of an encampment.
"It's extremely tragic and it's frustrating," O'Hara said.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
