Downtown Minneapolis was locked down Wednesday afternoon after a shooting inside an apartment high-rise left two people dead and seven others wounded, including three police officers. The suspect was also found dead, police said.
A 911 call reporting shots fired came in just after 4:30 p.m. Officers entered the building three minutes later and found victims inside, police Sgt. Garrett Parten told reporters at an evening press conference. Officers then heard more gunfire and followed it to a higher floor.
Two of the three injured officers suffered gunshot wounds. All three are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center.
One victim was fatally shot at the scene. A second died after arriving at the hospital. It was not immediately clear how the shooter died, Parten said.
Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients from the shooting but did not release details on the conditions of those wounded.
The Minneapolis Police Department warned the public early on to stay away from the area near the convention center as officers responded and secured the scene.
Julius Bailey, a resident of the building, said he was sitting outside when the gunfire began. He said he saw a man he recognized as a fellow resident holding a pistol and heard a woman screaming before he ran. Bailey said he counted eight shots and had tried to avoid the man since moving into the building in June, describing him as someone known for showing off his weapon.
The shooting adds to a series of urban attacks in U.S. cities this year. In August, a Bank of America executive was fatally stabbed in a random attack in Times Square, and in July an NFL employee was among those wounded in a Midtown Manhattan shooting.
Investigators had not released the identities of the victims or the suspect Wednesday evening. Authorities said the scene remained active as officers processed the building.