A shooting inside a downtown Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday afternoon left two people dead and three police officers injured, authorities confirmed.
Police Sgt. Garrett Parten addressed reporters at a press conference Wednesday evening, outlining the sequence of events that unfolded inside the high-rise building.
A 911 call reporting shots fired came in just after 4:30 p.m., and officers entered the building within three minutes of receiving that call.
Officers arriving at the scene quickly located victims inside the building before hearing additional gunshots coming from a higher floor.
Parten said officers followed the sounds of gunfire upward and encountered “a haze that significantly limited their visibility” on a higher floor of the building.
One victim was fatally shot at the scene, while a second victim died after being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, Parten said.
Two of the three injured officers sustained gunshot wounds, with one officer shot in the leg, while all three officers remained in stable condition according to a hospital spokesperson.
Video circulating on social media showed Minneapolis police officers aiming rifles upward at an apartment tower located near the Minneapolis Convention Center, as officials urged residents to avoid the nearby Loring Park neighborhood.
Resident Julius Bailey said he was sitting outside his apartment building when he heard gunshots and observed a man he recognized as a building resident holding a pistol.
Fellow resident Chris Miller said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and immediately fled outside, adding that he believed he knew the shooter and had reported an encounter with someone carrying a handgun in the hallway earlier that week to building management.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media that state officials were on the ground assisting local law enforcement, writing, “Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said on the platform X that the bureau is responding and “will offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities” in the investigation.
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth also issued a statement saying she is praying for victims of “this heinous crime” as the investigation continued into Wednesday evening.
