MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minneapolis police are investigating after a 10-year-old boy died following a shooting inside a downtown apartment Friday evening.
According to police, officers from the 1st Precinct responded to the 300 block of Hennepin Avenue at around 11:35 p.m. on the report of a shooting inside a downtown apartment. Officers soon located a 10-year-old boy with a life-threatening gunshot wound.
Police say officers immediately provided medical care, including CPR, before the victim was taken to the hospital. He later died at the hospital.
The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and another juvenile family member were alone and unsupervised inside the apartment when the shooting occurred.
Minneapolis police spokesman Garrett Parten called the death of a child “especially impactful,” including to those who responded to the scene and attempted saving the child’s life.
“We have two juveniles alone in a residence with access to a gun, and that is always a bad recipe. Always,” Parten said. “We’re asking that any gun owner, or anyone who has weapons in their homes, to please take every measure necessary to secure those weapons.”
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released a statement on Twitter Saturday morning.
“The news of this morning is a tragedy. Period. I’m in touch with MPD regarding the investigation and the department will share updates as available. What is and has been clear is that the conversation about community safety must prominently address gun safety & gun control laws,” he said. “My heart goes out to the family and friends grieving the loss of their young loved one.”
No arrests have been announced at this time and the death investigation is ongoing. When the investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for possible charges.
“We’re going to do what we always do. Collect the evidence, collect the facts and then follow those facts wherever they take us,” Parten said.
The victim’s identity, cause and manner of death will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
It was the latest incident in a string of violence in Minneapolis Friday, including a stabbing and shooting that sent two people to the hospital.
