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Nicollet Mall shooting in Mpls leaves 4 injured
A shooting Wednesday night, left three people injured by gunfire and one juvenile who was injured from broken glass as a result of gunfire. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has latest.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis police said a shooting along Nicollet Mall resulted in injuries to three adults and a minor late Wednesday night.
The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. on Nicollet Mall near 7th Street South. Officers in the area heard gunfire and arrived at the scene, where they found discharged casings and broken windows.
A woman and juvenile, who were injured, ran down 7th Street South and flagged down the authorities. Police said the woman sustained a graze wound, and the juvenile had apparent cuts from glass. They were transported to Hennepin Healthcare for their injuries.
Recent Shootings in Minneapolis
It is the second time this week that Minneapolis police are investigating a shooting with multiple victims. The first incident occurred on Franklin on Monday. Now, gunfire has injured three people on Wednesday night just before midnight on Nicollet Mall in downtown.
Shooting leaves behind damage
Plywood planks can't quite erase all the evidence of gunfire on Nicollet Mall. Two individuals were hospitalized immediately with gunshot wounds, and a third appeared at the hospital about two hours later. Additionally, a fourth person suffered cuts from the broken glass, which the plywood now covers.
"The 911 call, immediately preceding that indicated that there was a fight between a man and a woman at that location," said Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara.
Crews board up broken glass along Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis on Thursday.
'This is not the norm'
Downtown Minneapolis has earned a dangerous reputation over the years, but Chief O'Hara insists this incident is not representative of today's downtown. "I walk that area daily," he said. "So while I know it is concerning to people – this is not the norm."
Crime is decreasing
Police data shows the downtown west district is now up to eight gunshot wound victims this year, down 27% from last year and 57% from the average over the previous three years.
And most people walking past Wednesday night’s crime scene just 12 hours later said their level of concern was low.
Chief O’Hara says shootings are still the department’s number one concern — especially during a bad week like this one.
"The reality is, you know, any time we live in a society that just has so many illegal guns out here on the streets, we are going to continue to risk having gun violence when some minor dispute escalates," he said.
Police haven’t made any arrests in this shooting yet, but they did forensic testing and collected evidence before the boards started going up.