Girl shot in head, police hurt in violent Mpls. weekend
A young girl was shot in the head and two groups of Minneapolis police officers were attacked in downtown and Uptown in a spate of violence Saturday night into early Sunday morning, according to police.
The girl, who was shot about 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Jordan neighborhood while bouncing on a trampoline with other children, remained in critical condition at HCMC, according to police spokesman John Elder. The shooter was in a red four-door Ford vehicle that drove down an alley in the 2200 block of Ilona Avenue N. before firing at a residence, police said. None of the other children was injured.
The girl's identity was not provided under rules that prohibit police from releasing the identity of a victim of violent crime, said Elder.
City Council member Phillipe Cunningham tweeted Sunday evening that the shooting "wouldn't be tolerated if it were happening anywhere else." He argued that the City Council's strategy for addressing gun violence in North Minneapolis wasn't supported by Mayor Frey.
At two incidents early Sunday morning, people threw rocks and other debris at police or sprayed mace as the officers responded to calls for service, according to Elder. About 1 a.m., a group of drivers gathered near Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues in Uptown for racing and "exhibition driving." Police officers who were called to the scene to disperse the crowd were injured when some people started throwing objects at them. Two officers were taken to HCMC for treatment.
And then at the 2 a.m. bar closing in downtown, fights broke out and a stabbing was reported. Police responded, eventually finding two people with "substantial head wounds." Some of the bar patrons fought with police, including a person who used a large stick to hit an officer while another person sprayed chemical irritant at the officers, according to Elder. Five people were either cited or booked on a variety of charges. One police officer went to HCMC for treatment, as did the two civilians with head injuries.
"We are seeing more and more people that are being confrontational with law enforcement," said Elder. "The fact of the matter is it's unlawful and it's criminal behavior and people will be arrested as the opportunity arises."
Elsewhere, three people were shot while standing in front of a business in the 1700 block of East Lake Street early Sunday morning. The victims — two males and one female — were taken to HCMC with noncritical injuries.
A few hours later, police found a man lying on the ground and covered in blood near the intersection of Girard and Lowry Avenues North. The man was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital with a nonlife threatening gunshot wound.
St. Paul was not immune from the violence. Police said two people were shot Saturday at a bus stop near Maryland Avenue East and Hazelwood Street at around 8:45 p.m. The victims were listed in critical condition.
Matt McKinney • 612-673-7329
