Five people were killed and a toddler and a baby were among eight wounded by shootings across Minneapolis on Wednesday.
The bloodshed started with what police called a potential gang-related shooting that left three dead around midnight and didn’t end until 8 p.m. when a man died from gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
A toddler and an infant were also hit by stray bullets during an afternoon shooting that killed a man outside the Red Lake Nation Embassy.
Police haven’t made any arrests or named possible suspects in the shootings. And none of the slain or surviving victims were named by authorities.
The one-day mayhem upended a peaceful period for the city, which recorded no killings between Feb. 15 and April 19.
“The entire city is grieving right now,” Mayor Jacob Frey said. “We are making sure every resource available is utilized to catch the perpetrators of these horrible crimes. We will be making sure that the people who are responsible for these horrible killings will be brought to justice.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the violence began around midnight when gunfire erupted on East 25th Street and Bloomington Avenue.
Police said officers arrived to find four people — two men and two women — suffering from gunshot wounds in a car and another man lying nearby on a sidewalk with bullet wounds.
Two of the men and one of the women died at the scene, police said, while the other woman and man were rushed to a hospital in grave condition.
Chief O’Hara said the shooting was targeted and is being investigated as a gang-related attack.
Roughly an hour later and just five blocks away from the first shooting, another round of gunfire rang out, police said.
Authorities said no victims were found in the area, but did report that a man took himself to a hospital after being shot. He is expected to survive.
The third shooting of the day took place near the Red Lake Nation Embassy, an American Indian facility, as police were preparing to brief the media on the two predawn shootings.
Police said a man was gunned down at the scene, with stray bullets hitting the toddler and infant inside an SUV. Both were taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“This is outrageous. It’s absolutely senseless,” Chief O’Hara said after returning from the shooting to speak with reporters. “It just shows how completely reckless this is — that this is broad daylight out here with a toddler and an infant in a car seat, nearly getting hit by a bullet.”
Two additional shootings during the afternoon saw three more people struck by gunfire.
Authorities said a man was shot near Lyndale Elementary School. He is expected to survive.
A short time later, officers responded to a home in the Jordan neighborhood and found a man and woman inside suffering from gunshot wounds. Police said the man was fighting for his life, but the woman is expected to be OK.
Officials said the day’s final shooting took place near the site of the first early morning shooting. A man in his 50s died at a hospital while being treated for bullet wounds.
