The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting on the city’s south side that left one person dead Friday night.
According to police, at 11:20 p.m., firefighters were flagged down to check on a man who was unconscious on the ground in the 2700 block of Bloomington Avenue.
Firefighters found a man in his 20s unconscious with at least one gunshot wound to his chest. CPR was performed, and the man was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will release the identity of the man as well as his official cause of death at a later time.
Minneapolis police said they are investigating the circumstances behind the shooting.
“In the middle of a bunch of fireworks, I heard something automatic go off,” said Alex, a neighbor in the area. “If I was to stand right there, something could have happened. It makes me feel a little unsafe in the moment.”
Alex says he saw responding officers and paramedics arrive.
“I don’t know if these people knew each other or it could have been a random targeted,” Alex told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. “Right by the bus stop, too. A lot of people just go there for their regular transportation. Could have been anyone.”
Investigators say they found evidence of multiple gunshots at the scene, but now, remnants of fireworks litter the sidewalk.
“That’s too bad. Too much of that going on as it is,” said Sacky Thunder, another neighbor. “Need to do something to stop the epidemic, it’s out of hand.”
One woman says her two sons stay off the streets at night and is pleading for the gun violence to stop.
“People got to learn, you taking a life. Stop doing it, you know. If you can’t fight it out, leave it alone. Because with a gun, you permanently away, you’re gone, you’re not coming back,” she said.
No information has been released about a suspect at this time.
“Someone knows what happened to this man,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “We need anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem, to share that information with us.”
Anyone with information about any of the shootings should email [email protected] or call 612-673-5845. You can also submit anonymous tips to CrimeStoppers at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org or call 1-800-222-8477.
This was the second homicide on July Fourth — at around 2:30 a.m., a man in his 20s riding a scooter on Dupont Avenue North was hit by gunfire and also died at the hospital.
