Over Four Dozen Shots Fired In Fatal Gang Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An exchange of gunfire between two rival gangs has killed one man and left seven others injured.

The shooting happened just after 9 p.m. Wednesday in north Minneapolis.

Police say gang members were using social media to broadcast a reunion at the spot where another person was killed two years ago. Not long after, gunfire erupted.

"Over four dozen shots were fired last night," said Deputy Chief Bruce Folkens of Minneapolis police. "Four dozen -- that's a lot of shooting."

The shots rang out near the 1500 block of Newton Avenue North. Police say rival gangs got into a shootout in the middle of the street.

"One half of the group was outside of a memorial for a gunshot victim," Folkens said.

Police say the majority of the young people gathered on Newton Avenue were there to remember a gunshot victim from two years ago, the others were there to interrupt that memorial.

"These gang members are also using social media not only to do recruiting and talk to their friends, they are also using it to disrespect rival groups," Folkens said.

The shooting was captured by someone in the crowd and shared on social media.

A 20-year-old man was killed. Four male victims suffered gunshot wounds, and three female victims also suffered injuries by gunfire. The victims were all between 20 and 27 years old.

Police are looking for those responsible.

"We're going to start increasing our footprint," Folkens said.

Two weeks ago Minneapolis police increased patrols on the north side on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Now extra officers will work the beat daily to deal with the recent uptick in violence.

"Those that were hit by gunfire were intended targets," Folkens said. "The problem is with the volume of gunfire."

Police say they know who they're looking for and are aggressively going after them.

So far this year, 98 people have been shot in Minneapolis. Seventy-six of them were shot in north Minneapolis.

Police Chief Janee Harteau says the violence will not be tolerated.

"Although we've witnessed an increase in shootings in our city, we don't believe there's been an increase in the number of people pulling the trigger. It's a small section of our population, and the same people are becoming more brazen and more violent," she said. "The victims in the most recent incident were the intended targets, but this violence affects everyone. Numerous homes and vehicles in this area were hit by gunfire."

If you have any information about Wednesday's shooting, call Minneapolis police at 612-692-TIPS.