Eight people were shot, with four fighting for their lives, during a violent scene at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis on Monday night that has prompted city officials to shut down the controversial site.
The encampment shooting took place just hours after another shooting near a transit station that left five people wounded, marking the latest in a series of violent crimes plaguing the Minneapolis area.
When responding officers arrived, they found five people who had been shot, including a woman and two men suffering from life-threatening injuries. A man and woman also sustained what appeared to be non-fatal injuries to their legs. First responders took all five victims to nearby hospitals.
Authorities later determined that three additional people, including one with critical injuries, had either walked to hospitals or been taken there before police arrived at the scene.
“Unfortunately, here we are yet again in the aftermath of a mass shooting,” O’Hara said. “This is not normal.”
Investigators found multiple shell casings throughout the encampment and continue working to determine the events leading to the shooting. Authorities have not established whether the encampment shooting is connected to the earlier transit station incident.
No suspects have been arrested in connection with either the encampment shooting or the earlier transit station shooting.
Mayor Jacob Frey issued a statement about the incident at the encampment.
“My thoughts are with the victims and the Southside community,” Frey said. “We have years of evidence showing that encampments are unsafe. They don’t just endanger residents; they create conditions where some of our most vulnerable neighbors are exploited by drugs, violence, and trafficking.”
Encampment Ordered to be Cleared
During a post-shooting news conference, Frey said that the city would “clear this encampment immediately after the crime scene has been investigated.”
“This is way worse than just a nuisance. This is a danger to the community,” he said.
Sabri issued a statement condemning city leadership’s response to the recent violence, arguing officials should provide grief counseling, trauma support, and emergency housing options for homeless individuals and those affected by the shootings.
“Instead, the Mayor’s answer is the same tired move we’ve seen for years: displacement,” Sabri said. “Bulldoze people’s tents, fence off their space, and call it leadership. But it isn’t leadership. It’s an illusion of control designed to make the problem less visible, not less deadly.”
According to information found on the city’s website, Minneapolis has worked since early July to provide shelter, services, and support to the homeless at the encampment while addressing safety and health concerns. Officials tried to close the site twice and issued multiple public health notices citing drug paraphernalia, open fires, excessive debris, unsafe structures, and a lack of basic facilities.
City data indicates that Hennepin County’s unsheltered homelessness rate in 2024 remained less than half the national average. The unsheltered population decreased 14 percent this year and dropped 33.5 percent from its 2020 peak.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
