The public was asked to stay away from the downtown area.
The public was asked to stay away from the downtown area .At least three people, including a suspect, have died in a mass shooting in Minneapolis on Sept. 2, police said.
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a press conference that besides the suspected shooter, another person died at the scene.
Four additional people were transported to the hospital with apparent gunshot wounds, and one of those people died at the hospital, according to Parten.
Parten said that three police officers were injured, including two by gunfire. All three were expected to make a full recovery, he said.
One officer was shot in the leg, and another was shot twice in the abdomen, Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said.
“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.”
Authorities didn’t provide details about the suspected shooter but said they were familiar with the individual prior to the shooting.
According to Peterson, a 911 call came in shortly after 4:30 p.m. reporting shots fired at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building. Officers were inside the building within two minutes, where they quickly found victims of the shooting.
Hearing more gunshots on the upper levels, officers followed the sound and found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” Peterson said, though he didn’t provide additional details about the haze.
“I just spoke with the Mayor about the horrific shootings with multiple victims in downtown Minneapolis,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said on X. “Please avoid the area as law enforcement works to secure the scene. My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. Thank you to our courageous law enforcement.”
In a post on social media, the city requested that locals keep away from the area from 12th Street to Franklin, Hennepin to 3rd Ave, in the city’s downtown. The area has since been secured.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that the state was providing resources for the response.
“My public safety team is responding to a shooting that took place downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz wrote in a post on X.
“State officials are on the ground to support local law enforcement, and we will share more information as it becomes available.”