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MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — Minneapolis police are investigating after a mass shooting seriously injured two people and wounded seven others outside a nightclub in the Uptown neighborhood early Sunday morning.
According to police, officers responded shortly before 12:30 a.m. to a report of a shooting outside Reign Event Center, which is located on the 2900 block of Hennepin Avenue.
Police from all five precincts were called in to respond due to the number of victims and the crowd outside the club. According to preliminary information, gunfire erupted outside the club following an altercation, police say, with a large crowd present during the shooting.
At the scene, officers found four people suffering injuries. They included a 20-year-old man with potentially life-threatening injuries, and three others with apparent non-life threatening injuries. The latter three were a 21-year-old man and two women, ages 22 and 27. All were taken to Hennepin Healthcare.
Police say a man, 18, later walked into Hennepin Healthcare with an apparent non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Police say four additional people arrived at Abbot Northwestern Hospital, including a 21-year-old man with potentially life-threatening injuries. Three other men, ages 20, 21 and 22, had non-life threatening injuries. The man with potentially life-threatening injuries was taken to Hennepin Healthcare.
In an update Sunday afternoon, police said the two men who suffered life-threatening injuries are expected to survive.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, in a statement, called the shooting “intolerable.”
“This is a stark reminder that keeping our streets safe requires every tool available. We need partnerships where the perpetrators of these acts are arrested and prosecuted, we need to continue hiring more police officers to both investigate and prevent gun crimes, and we must embrace proven technologies from drones to ShotSpotter that allow our police to do their jobs with greater efficiency,” Frey said.
Ali Salah, who lives in the neighborhood, was a witness to the aftermath.
“A lot of people were running down the street,” he said. “A lot of police and enforcement vehicles driving by, first responders.
“This was a brazen act of violence in a crowded entertainment district where innocent people were placed at tremendous risk,” Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said.
Peterson said the Minneapolis FAST nonfatal shooting task force — which includes the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and county sheriff’s offices is investigating.
Ward 7 Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer said in a Facebook post that she hopes to meet with Reign nightclub ownership this week.
“I pray for the victims and all those affected by violence on our streets. We will not tolerate this outrageous activity,” Shaffer wrote.
City leaders say preventing future violence will require cooperation beyond law enforcement.
“That takes partnerships with the county, who provides a lot of the social services, the state, but more importantly, it really does take the community to help with prevention,” Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette said.
“You hope that nothing is fatal. You hope that people are able to walk away and learn from this situation,” Salah said.
There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing. Police are looking into whether gunshots were fired from a vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call the police or CrimeStoppers.
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