MINNEAPOLIS — A midday shooting in south Minneapolis on Tuesday left one person dead and six others injured, according to police. The incident, which occurred just before 1:30 p.m. local time, took place on a sidewalk across the street from a high school.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters the gunman opened fire with a “high-velocity .223 rifle” on a group of people at the corner of East 29th Street and Clinton Avenue South. According to a report from CBS News Minnesota, a man was found dead at the scene, and five other men and one woman were located with gunshot wounds in the surrounding area. Three of the victims were considered to have critical injuries but were expected to survive. The shooter fled the scene in a vehicle and remains at large, according to a report from the Star Tribune.
The shooting happened across the street from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, which was in session at the time, although no students were among the casualties, as reported by MPR News. Chief O’Hara described the event as a “deeply troubling act of violence” and called the level of firepower used “completely sickening and unacceptable.” A local resident, Eustacio Alatorre, told CBS News Minnesota that he and his family took shelter in their basement after hearing the gunshots. “My wife is scared,” he said.
Police have not released a motive for the shooting, but Chief O’Hara stated that at least one of the victims was believed to have been targeted. The Minneapolis Police Department is reviewing “substantial pieces of evidence” and actively pursuing leads.