Two civilians are dead and several Minneapolis police officers are hurt after a shooting late Wednesday afternoon at a Loring Park apartment building.
The city says just after 4:30 p.m., police responded to 911 calls about gunshots at Shoreline Plaza Apartments, formerly known as Loring Towers, on East Grant Street near Nicollet Avenue.
They found multiple people who'd been shot in the lobby and heard more gunfire.
Here's the latest on what we know:
A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. Officers were dispatched and less than two minutes later they were inside the building and quickly found victims, said Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson.
Officers heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said. Peterson did not provide additional details about the haze.
One officer was shot in the leg and another was shot twice in the abdomen, he said. All three injured officers were expected to make a full recovery, he said.
Authorities did not provide any details about the suspected shooter but said they were familiar with the person before the shooting.
“I’m truly sickened by this level of violence,” Peterson said. “That feeling is tempered only by the courageous actions of the Minneapolis police officers, who responded without hesitation, confronted an extraordinarily dangerous situation and worked to end the violence and restore safety.”
One of the victims was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said.
Parten said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died. There are reports that it was suicide, but that has not been confirmed by law enforcement at this time.
Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients but didn’t share additional information about their conditions.
Building residents and neighbors share what became a chaotic scene
Shawn Mosby was waiting outside the apartment building for his daughter who heard the shooting unfold and he talked with our own Susie Jones Wednesday afternoon, while waiting for the lockdown to be lifted.
"I've never seen my daughter this afraid before and obviously there were shots that rang out right there," Mosby explains. "Multiple shots, banging. The police have been going door to door, and it's just been rough."
Mosby told WCCO's Susie Jones he was "in hell" waiting for police to signal the situation was safe.
Rayna Raker says she lives in the building where it happened and was coming out of her apartment when the shooting unfolded.
"I literally was walking down the stairs as the situation was going on," Raker said. "I heard swearing. I heard cursing, and then I just heard shots, shots, shots, shots."
Chris Miller, who lives in the building, isn't sure what comes next.
"Don't know if I have a place to live yet. Don't know if I can go back home yet. Don't know what's gonna happen," says Miller.
Miller said he was warned by another tenant who said police was pulling up to the building.
"Grabbed my phone, grabbed my keys, and then got down to the bottom floor and all the front doors were busted," he says. "Glass shot, as I was walking down the ramp, two different people were laying there covered in blood."
This woman was outside the building when the shooting unfolded.
"I was already outside, we were sitting out in front talking and another neighbor," she explained. "And we saw the alleged shooter's baby's mother get out of the van, her and her little girl, and then the bike, and when she got up to the door, we heard five shots. But we wasn't sure because of construction on the other side. We thought it might have come from the guys working. Then we heard five more. We left and by the time I got around the corner, I heard another fire, and I saw police running in the building and stuff."
There is a reunification area set up at Central Lutheran Church on South 12th Street with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army providing food, shelter, and aid.
Police "saved lives" and several are still recovering
Following the sound to an upper floor, police were met with a haze which a department spokesman said significantly limited their visibility.
That haze caused four officers adverse effects, but the city didn't share further details on their condition.
Both police and the suspect fired shots. Three officers were hurt in the shooting. One was undergoing surgery Wednesday night, but Governor Tim Walz shared that all are expected to recover.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying the three officers hurt in the shooting likely saved many lives.
"Two officers were hit by gunfire, one in the leg, the other with two bullets to the abdomen," Frey explained. "But for their heroic work, the death toll would have been far higher."
In all, HCMC says it took in seven patients. One died, six are still being treated. Their conditions are unknown.
Two more officers were hurt when their squad car got into a crash while responding to the scene. At least 10 other law enforcement agencies assisted Minneapolis police.
The BCA is investigating.
