A 17-year-old who worked for a Republican running against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Monday.
Lacy Johnson, the Republican running for Congress, confirmed on Tuesday that the teenager killed in a shooting in North Minneapolis was a member of his outreach team. Johnson noted the teenager and one other man who was injured in the shooting both worked for him, but they were not carrying out campaign duties when they were shot.
“Today, we are shocked and saddened to learn of this senseless act of violence. It is shocking and unnecessary acts of violence like this that prove why change is more needed than ever in our community,” Johnson said in a statement.
The two men were outside a convenience store on Monday afternoon when the shooting took place. Both men were rushed to the hospital after the shooting. The teenager was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other man sustained serious injuries but is expected to survive. The gunman or gunmen fled the scene, and no one has been apprehended.
The Minneapolis Police Department told WCCO that it does not believe the shooting was politically motivated. Shootings have skyrocketed in Minneapolis over the past several months following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody. Including the death of Johnson’s staff member, there have been 55 homicides in Minneapolis in 2020. In 2019, the city had 48 homicides in total.
The Minneapolis City Council has toyed with abolishing the police department, but its plans have been stalled. A campaign aide for Johnson told Fox 9 that the death of the colleague is proof that the city needs new leadership.
