One dead, 11 shot with injuries of ‘various severity’ in Minneapolis

At least 10 people were shot in Minneapolis, police there said early Sunday.

They were alive with “various severity levels of injuries,” Minneapolis police said in a tweet just before 3 a.m.

An initial tweet from Minneapolis police advised the public to avoid the area in Uptown Minneapolis. The address provided corresponds to a commercial district, near Landmark’s Uptown Theatre and several bars and restaurants.

Minnesota began allowing bars and restaurants to reopen with limited service on June 1 after some six weeks of closure because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Photographs posted to social media showed windows at the theater and another storefront shot out.

Screams were audible on a live video posted to Facebook that showed the aftermath at the scene. Small crowds of people gathered, with some crouched over victims lying on the pavement before police officers on bicycles showed up to attend to them. Splatters of blood were visible on the pavement after the victims were taken to local hospitals.

The area is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of the Minneapolis commercial area and neighborhood hit by rioting in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death after being arrested by Minneapolis police.

Floyd’s death has sparked a move to overhaul the Minneapolis Police Department, with a majority of City Council members pledging support for dismantling a department that many community activists have called brutal and racist.

That’s prompted pushback from opponents who question how citizens will be protected from violent crime. Even the most aggressive proponents for change have acknowledged it’s many months away and they’re not sure what it will look like.

Calls and emails to Minneapolis police seeking more information weren’t immediately returned. Further details weren’t immediately available, and wasn’t clear whether anyone was taken into custody.