Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has announced that a 16-year-old male has been arrested in connection to the murder of 11-year-old Amir Lamar Atkins nearly a month after Atkins was killed.
According to the MPD, the 16-year-old (WCCO does not name juveniles) was arrested Tuesday morning in Apple Valley.
Police report that the suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center. There's no word on any specific murder charges yet.
“I am incredibly grateful to the hard work of the investigators who worked to complete a thorough investigation of this heinous crime,” said Chief O’Hara. “I am hopeful that this arrest brings a sense of justice for Amir and his family.”
The shooting occurred on June 23 at Folwell Park on Dowling Avenue North just before 2:00 p.m.
Gunfire erupted in the park and Amir Atkins was shot and killed. Investigators recovered multiple shell casings, indicating numerous rounds fired.
O'Hara described the shooting as "terrible," and said the shooting was linked to at least three vehicles driving erratically in the park just before it happened.
Community members reacted to the shooting with fear and outrage.
"It's scary, right? You don't really know what's going on and then you pull up to this block and you see cars and yellow tape everywhere and you don't know what's happening," said Minneapolis City Council member LaTrisha Vetaw." And you saw a live stream on somebody's phone, you saw multiple. It's traumatizing to think that it's your child."
After the shooting, family members of Atkins along with other members of the community gathered calling for an end to the gun violence in the area. Princess Titus was one of the speakers. Her son Anthony was shot and killed when he was just 16-years old.
"We are not just grieving this child," added Titus. "We are grieving generations of loss. We are grieving every child and every family and every community shattered by this epidemic, this blood sport of gun violence."