Friends mourn loss of barber killed in Minneapolis shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating a spike in violent crime across the city, including a shooting that left 11 people injured and one dead early Sunday morning.

The victim was identified as 27-year-old Cody Pollard, a barber at Jerome’s Barber Shop in St. Paul. Now, the community has created a memorial at the shop, leaving flowers on his chair.

“This dude had so much love in the city. It’s ridiculous. A lot of people are gonna miss him,” said Pollard’s friend Jerome Jackson, a fellow barber. “Can’t nobody touch the chair, can’t no one sit in the chair. The chair is gonna be him. I am gonna do something real special.”

The shooting was one of several throughout the city over the past few weekends. According to department statistics, since George Floyd’s death, the city has racked up 110 gunshot wound victims, including eight who were injured Monday afternoon. Those numbers are more commonly seen over a six-month period, rather than just four weeks.

“I just cut his hair on Saturday evening. It’s hard to think I had his head in my hands,” Jackson said. “He made me feel like I had family up here. I have no relatives in Minnesota. That boy always made me feel like I had a cousin; it really hurts to lose him.”

Minneapolis police are still investigating the case and do not have any suspects in custody yet. The other 11 people suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds in the shooting. The FBI Minneapolis division is assisting in the investigation.

In a statement, Kevin Smith with the the FBI wrote, "The FBI in Minneapolis remains in close contact with the Minneapolis Police Department and continues to work on what tools and other assets we may have that can provide the greatest assistance to the department during this time. We can certainly bring intelligence and investigative resources to the table as a force multiplier now and will work with MPD on additional needs in the coming days.”