'We've got to stop all this': Neighbors fed up after baby grazed by bullet in Minneapolis
Neighbors of a baby who was grazed by a bullet in Minneapolis Friday are fed up and calling for answers as the investigation continues.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The list of lives changed by gun violence in Minneapolis grew on Friday night. A 9-month-old baby boy is expected to survive after being grazed by a bullet while riding in a car near 34th Avenue North and Colfax Avenue, around 6:45 p.m.
"People need to just put the guns down and stop all the violence man," neighbor Troy Brazelton said. "It grazed him, but think about it, it could’ve been worse."
Minneapolis Police say there will now be additional patrols in the area where it happened.
"We are attempting to ascertain whether or not the vehicle that the child was riding in was the intended target of the shots," Minneapolis Police spokesperson John Elder told FOX 9 on Friday.
"I don’t know if they were targeting anybody, I don’t know if it was random, I don’t know what it is, I just know it just needs to stop," Brazelton said. He heard the gun shots ring out from inside of his home, which is just up the street.
"Come on y’all, we’ve got to get together, we’ve got to stop all this," Brazelton said. "This ain’t cool, ain’t nothing cool about dying."
Other neighbors we spoke with said it was hard to tell if they were hearing gunshots or fireworks.
"It’s the Fourth of July weekend, we shouldn’t have to worry about our kids not being able to play outside and being able to enjoy themselves because of violence," Brazelton said.
Already in recent months, three children have been shot - two killed - by stray bullets in the city.
"You look at all these kids that are getting shot, for what? So somebody can prove how tough they are," Brazelton said. "That’s not right, that’s not right, what if it was your kid, how would you feel?"
No one has been arrested in any of the cases. A reward of $35,000 is being offered for information leading to justice.
"That’s supposed to be our future," Brazelton said. "That’s supposed to be the ones that take over this world for us."
Law enforcement says it is working with the 9-month-old’s family to get more information and put together a suspect description.