Police said at least 12 people were shot in a mass shooting that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, early Sunday morning.
One man was killed, and 11 others had been taken to the hospital in what one of the city’s most violent shootings in recent history, according to the Star Tribune. Authorities said the 11 surviving victims were all adults and had “various severity” in the extent of their injuries.
Minneapolis Police Department spokesman John Elder said the shooting took place just after midnight. They believe multiple weapons were fired in the shooting, but they did not release any information about the suspects or motives. No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning.
One witness said she heard “like 80 shots” fired.
The shooting took place in the uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, which has been home to many of the protests against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died on Memorial Day after a white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes during an arrest.
More than 90 people have been shot in Minneapolis since Floyd’s death. Since Saturday afternoon, more than 19 people have been shot in various neighborhoods throughout Minneapolis.
Protests and street racing took place over the weekend in the uptown commercial district, which has begun to reopen from closures meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus, prompting police to shut down some of the streets in the area.
Minneapolis has turned into Oakland pic.twitter.com/c1f9mIckfN
— Barflaan Tedoe (@The_Barftender) June 20, 2020
Context for last night’s shooting. Police were present all night, blocking car traffic on Hennepin, Lagoon, and Lake for several blocks. They were expecting trouble after Uptown was taken over by street racers on Friday. Video is Lagoon Ave 2 hours before the shooting. pic.twitter.com/M0liPMbS07
— Wedge LIVE!™ (@WedgeLIVE) June 21, 2020
Some have questioned whether the city’s police have stopped caring to enforce the law following weeks of protests. Elder brushed aside such chatter while addressing a homicide that took place last week.
“That is categorically false,” Elder said. “Our officers are still responding to calls, they are still addressing calls, and the fact that anybody would think that there is a stand-down order or some sort of work stoppage, that is patently false.”
The Minneapolis City Council has moved to dismantle the police department and move funds to other resources throughout the city, such as social workers and addiction counselors. The council president, Lisa Bender, said the goal of the council is to have a “police-free” city.
