3 shots in Dinkytown; No suspicious information, says U of M

MINNEAPOLIS – According to the University of Minnesota, three people were shot in Dinkytown early Friday morning.

The shooting happened around 2:15 a.m. along Southeast Fourth Street and 13th Avenue Southeast, an alert from the school said.

According to the university, there is currently no information about a suspect. It is also unknown whether anyone from campus was involved.

Students are asked to avoid the area while police investigate the scene.

Minneapolis police believe a fight led to the shooting. A 22-year-old man was taken to the hospital with a life-threatening gunshot wound. An 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were later taken to separate hospitals with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

A witness reported hearing gunshots and seeing a person being taken away in an ambulance.

“I heard a lot of loud bangs in quick succession, obviously too fast to be fireworks,” Themis Megas said. “I immediately took a look out the window because I was right there and saw a lot of people running, jumping into cars, people running away.”

Megas said police have recently increased security in the area.

“How can we work together to ensure that Dinkytown is truly a safe place to live, learn and play in the area,” said Nick Juarez, a community engagement liaison for the Department of Public Safety at the U of M. in September she opened one Dinkytown Security Center for students and police. It's just a block from the early morning triple shooting.

On Friday, Juarez and other leaders met with business owners to talk about what can be done to improve the neighborhood long-term.

“We want people to come in. You can have conversations with us about any safety concerns you may have. And from there we can see what partners are available to us to solve some of these problems as well,” Juarez said.

It's the same territory that WCCO captured Mayhem on the 4th of July. Prosecutors have charged 20 people with serious crimes for shooting fireworks at people, cars and police officers.