A man suspected of firing multiple rounds in an apartment building is in critical but stable condition after Minneapolis authorities shot him, according to police.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said an officer shot the man in the jaw after reports of a shooting on the 4000 block of Minnehaha Avenue. That officer, and an officer who witnessed the shooting, are on administrative leave while the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates. No other injuries were reported despite reports that the man was armed with an AK-47 and extra ammunition.
In a news conference Saturday morning, O’Hara described the active shooting as a “terrifying incident for dozens of residents.”
Officers were told of a man walking around the 4000 block of Minnehaha Avenue with a shotgun at around 10:50 p.m. Friday. They canvassed the area and found no suspects. That changed hours later when dozens of 911 calls flooded the Minneapolis Police Department.
Callers reported multiple shots fired inside an apartment building at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, adding that they heard broken glass and the sound of someone banging on doors. Officers arrived to find a chaotic scene. Bullets marred the building’s entry door and nearby homes. Spent bullet cartridges were along the hallway, and a shotgun laid on the floor of an opened apartment.
As authorities evacuated dozens from the building, a gun’s muzzle flashed from the apartment’s stairwell.
That’s where police say officers and SWAT members contained the shooter as he fired multiple rounds from an AK-47 rifle. At 5:33 a.m. an officer fired their rifle at the man, striking his jaw. They disarmed him and provided medical aid until the suspect was taken to the HCMC in critical but stable condition.
His identity has not been released, but authorities described him as a 40-year-old man who is a resident of the building.
The man’s motive is unclear, but police say he was heavily armed. They recovered a shotgun, AK-47 rifle, 45-caliber handgun and backpack filled with more ammo. O’Hara also said the man wore a military-style flak jacket — body armor meant to hold bullets while protecting its user from gunfire.
“We had the bomb squad come out to check the backpack because I was concerned it could be a boobytrap for first responders,” O’Hara said in the news conference. “It’s been an exhausting week for everybody in Minneapolis. (There’s been) a terrible amount of shootings and murders over the last week.”
Local officials renewed calls for gun control measures.
“This morning, MPD officers received the type of call they never want to get. Thanks to their quick actions, neighbors and family members nearby are safe today,” Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement on X. “Nobody needs an AK-47. Getting these weapons off our streets must be a priority at state capitols across the country.”
“I like many of you are exhausted and pained by this instance of yet another senseless act of gun violence, that people in our country are far too familiar with. With the news of the school shooting that took place in Winder, Georgia at Appalachee High School, many are feeling especially raw,” Ward 12 Councilmember Aurin Chowdhury said in a public update. “It breaks my heart that our community had to experience this last night and into early morning. We must make every effort from the local level, state level, and federal level to address and end gun violence in our communities.”
Councilmember Chowdhury added that they are “pushing for the (BCA) investigation to be as transparent as possible in releasing findings.”
There have been five homicides in the city since last Friday, according to a Minnesota Star Tribune database, bringing the city’s grim total this year to 51. Minneapolis reported 45 homicides at this time last year.
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