Crews clearing Minneapolis encampment after deadly double shooting

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis and Hennepin County crews are working to clear a homeless encampment following a deadly double shooting nearby on Wednesday morning.

One man was killed and another was seriously injured in an alleyway on the 2500 block of 17th Avenue South, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. Responding officers found one man shot in the head and another shot in the neck.

The man shot in the head, who was in his 20s, died at the scene, police said. The other man, who is in his 30s, was hospitalized but is expected to survive.

Police recovered one gun at the scene, but don't believe it was fired, so they suspect a third person was the shooter.

"We do not have a motive at this time, but we do have significant information on a potential suspect who may be our shooter," O'Hara said.

The chief said this is "probably the third shooting we've had associated with this particular encampment" and police will clear it once the crime scene has been processed.

"It is very clear that the residents from the neighborhood around here, and not just here, different areas in the neighborhood, are just really fed up with the problems associated with encampments," O'Hara said. "I heard that loud and clear last night."

Neighbors say they've been calling the city about the encampment since early spring and have witnessed drug dealing, sex trafficking and domestic violence for months.

"No, it doesn't surprise me at all, because we've had gunfire and illegal activity for months," said neighbor Linda Leonard. "There's no control over anything that's going on.

Leonard said well-meaning people have been delivering clothes, food and furniture to the encampment, but that's been making matters worse for her and her fellow residents.

"What happens is all that stuff gets dumped on my property and other properties, and then the city fines us for excess garbage," Leonard said. "People are using our properties for public toliets, the fighting goes on all night, and even some of the people living there have said, 'We can't live there anymore, we're leaving, this needs to be shut down.'"

On Tuesday, city leaders — including O'Hara — met with frustrated community members to discuss public safety. The meeting came after a tragic few days in Minneapolis, which included a 16-year-old girl being killed in a hit-and-run and a 14-year-old boy getting shot .

This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO for more information.