Man goes on ‘shooting rampage’ at homeless camp, killing two, Minnesota police say
Police in Minnesota have arrested a man they say killed two people and injured two others when he went on a “shooting rampage” at and near a homeless camp.
Around 4:40 a.m. Sept. 18, Minneapolis police responded to a double shooting at a homeless encampment, according to a news release.
Officers found two men lying in an alley with gunshot wounds. One man died at the scene and the other man was taken to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, police said.
“There’s a 20-year-old man that’s dead this morning. Another man in his 30s has been injured by gunfire, and a whole community is impacted,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in the release.
Later the same day, around 4:20 p.m., officers responded to another shooting. A man in his 30s was found with “a life-threatening gunshot wound lying in an alley,” police said. Efforts were made to save the man, but he died at the scene.
“Preliminary information indicates that a group of individuals was walking by the man while he was standing near a garage. One individual walked up to the man and shot him in the head,” police said.
Around 7:20 p.m., another person was shot and suffered possibly life-threatening injuries, according to officials. About 15 minutes later, police arrested a man they say is responsible for all three shooting incidents.
“I am so proud and grateful for the dedicated work of our officers who worked with urgency and captured a suspected violent criminal who went on a shooting rampage today,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara pointed out the homeless camp where one of the shootings took place is on a route traveled by children daily.
“They have to deal with walking past this every day, seeing needles and everything else that goes on here. Now they’re walking past crime scene tape. It’s a serious, serious issue,” he said. “ ... There’s been way too much crime and violence this year, and way too much associated with homelessness.”
O’Hara said two of the shootings happened just blocks away from each other.
Officials have not released the name of the man arrested or the victims. Authorities have not determined a motive for the shootings.
This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Man goes on ‘shooting rampage’ at homeless camp, killing two, Minnesota police say."
