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1 dead, 2 critically injured after shooting in north Minneapolis
Chief Brian O’Hara said officers were making a traffic stop when they said they heard several rounds of gunfire.
MINNEAPOLIS — One man is dead and two other people are in critical condition following a shooting in a north Minneapolis parking lot, according to Minneapolis police.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Wednesday night that officers are investigating the man’s death and as the city’s first homicide in 2023. Another man and a woman were also injured in the incident, the details of which, O’Hara said, are scarce.
O’Hara said officers were making a traffic stop around 8:20 p.m. in the area of Lowry and Emerson Avenues North when they said they heard several rounds of gunfire. O’Hara said a ShotSpotter in the area had also detected at least 23 rounds.
Officers in the area, as well as backup officers, responded to the scene, O’Hara said. Crews determined the scene was in the parking lot in front of Gold Star Foods at 818 North Lowry Avenue.
According to O’Hara, the incident began when two men on foot approached a vehicle in the lot, occupied by a man and woman. O’Hara said the situation escalated when one of the men on foot walked up to the driver’s side door and opened it. That’s when, O’Hara said, the vehicle started pulling away, dragging the man outside with it.
The second man on foot started firing at the vehicle as it drove away, according to Minneapolis police, and fled the scene after the vehicle stopped when it became stuck in a snowbank.
O’Hara said the man who had been caught in the vehicle’s driver’s side door also tried to flee before collapsing a short distance away. Police say despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
O’Hara claimed a handgun was found near his body.
The driver of the vehicle, a man, and his female passenger were critically injured in the shooting and subsequently brought to the hospital. Officials said the man was taken to North Memorial Hospital and is listed in critical condition. The woman was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and is in critical but stable condition.
Police say they believe at least three firearms were involved, and one is believed to have been semi-automatic.
“We’ve had a number of shooting incidents over the last few days and obviously that’s very concerning for me,” O’Hara said. “I think this just speaks volumes to the challenges we’re facing… it shows the crisis that we’re facing.”
O’Hara says the man who fled on foot is still at-large and the case remains open and active.
“We already live in a country with more guns than people, and there are 10 to 20 million more guns entered into circulation each year. It’s an incredible challenge for us to be able to partner with all of the law enforcement and community organizations to take as many guns out of the hands of people who should not have them before situations like this happen,” O’Hara told crews on Wednesday night.
The identity and official cause and nature of the victim’s death will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
O’Hara says there were about a dozen shootings between the weekend and Wednesday night. According to the city’s crime dashboard, 19 people in total were shot so far this year. That’s six more than last year at this time.
Thursday, Mayor Jacob Frey told KARE 11 that while “a single victim of gun violence is far too many,” it’s important to look at the bigger picture.
“Our police officers and Office of Community Safety, through a comprehensive effort, are working like crazy right now to make sure that those numbers are going down and I’ll tell you, they are,” the mayor said.
Data shows homicides dropped 20% last year, from 93 total in 2021 to 79 in 2022. Still, rates remain above pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, there were 46 on record.
On guns, Frey says he agrees with O’Hara, who he nominated to serve as chief last fall. At the time, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus opposed, calling O’Hara anti-gun.
“When you have this incredible proliferation of both legal and illegal guns that come into the city that is an underlying issue,” Frey said Thursday. “We can’t ignore it. Guns kill people. They do. Sometimes, guns come into the city by the trunk-load. It requires our officers to do all the more work to get guns off the street and by the way, last year they broke a citywide record. They broke a record in getting guns off the street and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”
KARE 11 reached out to the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus for comment and received the following statement:
“We share a common goal with Chief O’Hara in keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them, but we reject his implication that lawful gun ownership is part of the problem.
Mayor Frey’s revelation that truckloads of firearms are coming into the city is shocking. We are anxious to see more information about these truckloads, and hope there is strong prosecution of the individuals illegally trafficking those firearms, crimes that are rarely prosecuted in Minneapolis.
Whether it’s trunk-load or truck-load the sentiment is the same, the criminals trafficking firearms are routinely under-sentenced or not prosecuted.”
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EDINA, Minn. — The Edina football team fell just a few yards short of winning the Minnesota State 6A Football Championship last season.
Coach Jason Potts and his team are off to a great start again this fall — and hoping to make it back to US Bank Stadium.
But at the end of the day, the Hornets said it’s the journey of one of their teammates that inspires them to keep moving forward.
“All of the doctors that I’ve had in the past doubted me a lot. It felt good to finally put on pads for the first time,” said Edina junior John Liddicoat.
Friday nights in the fall illuminate the beauty of a dream being achieved.
“I love the feeling of Friday night. Looking at the student section right before running out the tunnel, getting that adrenaline rush,” said Liddicoat.
For Liddicoat, Fridays at Kuhlman Stadium transform into a canvas of joy, inspiration and bravery.
“He’s one of the most brave guys that I’ve ever coached,” said Potts.
Pushing limits is something John has done since day one.
“John was diagnosed with Williams syndrome when he was 5 months old,” said Mary Liddicoat, John’s Mom.
“It was devastating. We were devastated. We’d never heard of the syndrome, and he was super little and it was super scary,” she added.
Williams syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that impacts many parts of the body, including cognitive delay, speech and motor skills.
“The day he was diagnosed, the geneticist said he’ll never ride a bike, and I think we both made a mental note: We’ll see,” said Liddicoat’s dad, also named John. “He can ride a bike; he didn’t learn at 3 like his brother, but he learned at 10 and he says it’s his mode of transportation now.”
John handled the handlebars… up next? A bigger challenge to tackle.
“It’s kind of a big dream of mine when I was younger to play football,” said John.
“More than any other sport, he’s always wanted to play football. Every year, when I would drive him to school, and the register for tackle football youth football signs would go up, and John would look at me in the car and say, ‘Mom, I want to play football!’ And I would say, ‘We’re not sure that’s a safe option for you,'” said Mary.
Safety concerns gave way to John’s bravery and a coach who refused to say “no” to a kid’s dream.
“One of my goals is to have access to a football program for everybody, and I didn’t want any excuses for someone to not play football, and that’s why I’m here at Edina, is to help young people chase their greatest potential,” said Potts.
“Putting on pads for the first time. Putting on a helmet for the first time. Just getting on the field, seeing my buddies, it was just a wow moment. Like, wow, I’m in pads and cleats, I’m playing football!” said John.
For the past three years, John has played football alongside his brothers, like QB Mason West.
“I’ve known him since probably first grade, and ever since, he’s just been a really smiley and happy dude. It’s honestly really fun to be around him. All of my friends love him, and it’s so good having him as part of this team,” said West.
“Just to have him on the field in the program is something special, and what he accomplishes, I don’t think he understands what he brings to the program,” said Potts.
John’s enthusiasm radiates along the sidelines every Friday night, starring in his role, encouraging teammates and coaches alike.
“You know, I might get down on myself and maybe I made a bad play call or geez, it’s raining — what do we do? And all of the sudden, you bump into John, and he just kind of flips you. And he does that to other players as well. When things get tough, it’s like you bump into John, and he’s there to lift you,” said Potts.
Lifting and inspiring others to achieve their dreams as well.
“I like to play for the other kids with disabilities that can’t do much. For me, I see kids with worse disabilities than mine, and I always feel like I need to show the world that not only can kids with disabilities do stuff, but they can play high-impact sports like football or wrestling or whatever sport they want to do,” said John.
MINNEAPOLIS — There’s a new hi-tech way for visitors to learn about downtown Minneapolis.
City officials on Wednesday cut the ribbon on new kiosks called “IKE.” They’re loaded with information so users can search for restaurants, small businesses, bathrooms and events in the area.
Unlike using a major search engine like Google, this is all tailored for Minneapolis.
“Each kiosk is going to organize based on proximity. So unlike traditional search engines that you might work with, you can’t pay for optimization. So when you select eat and drink here, the businesses in the immediate proximity end up being featured. And we hope that this functions as a way to help people discover those businesses that make Minneapolis truly unique,” said Jibran Shermohammed of IKE Smart City.
Five kiosks are live now, including one on Nicollet Mall and 20 will go live will go live by spring next year.
More than 100,000 travelers will fly out of MSP Wednesday and Thursday, but thousands more are planning a ‘staycation’ over MEA break.
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — At MSP airport, officials say Wednesday and Thursday will be the two busiest days for departures during MEA break this year. More than 49,000 travelers are expected to fly out of MSP on Wednesday, and more than 52,000 are expected to depart on Thursday. Airport officials say Thursday could become the 5th busiest travel day ever.
Meanwhile, countless families in Minnesota are planning “staycations” closer to home. At Applewood Orchard in Lakeville, workers are preparing for a busy week.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing the turnout,” employee Jackson Cox said. “If the turnout is a little lower than we think it’s always better to be prepared for more.”
The Cox family recently acquired the apple orchard, so this will be their first time hosting visitors during an MEA break.
“We’re pretty much extending all of our weekend activities to every day this week. We’re selling mini donuts, tractor rides, and more food, because we are hoping a lot of people will stop by,” Cox said.
One visitor who stopped by Wednesday was Natasha Apple from Apple Valley. That’s right, the word apple is in her name, the city she lives in, and the place she visited Wednesday afternoon.
“You really can’t make that up,” Apple laughed. “Me and my husband get it all the time. We’re the Apples and we live in Apple Valley, and we love apple orchards.”
Apple was visiting the orchard with a mom’s group from Apple Valley.
“There are eight of us here I believe,” Apple said. “It’s still stinking beautiful out so we are taking full advantage of the weather.”
And they weren’t alone at the orchard. Jenny Yohnke from Lakeville stopped by the orchard with her three boys.
“With three boys they have a lot of energy, so I brought them to the corn pit to have some fun,” Yohnke said.
She has big plans for the rest of MEA break.
“We’re heading out to the zoo tomorrow and then we have some friends with school kids, my friend from work coming to visit on Friday. We have a busy week of fun,” Yohnke said.
Other parents at the orchard said they are planning to stop by a pumpkin patch later in the week to buy their Halloween pumpkins.
Another common “staycation” idea was to enjoy a nature hike to see the fall colors, or to go to the movie theater to see a movie, or stop by the local library.
So, if you’re looking for a fun and affordable activity to get your family out of the house there are several options to choose from.
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