4 Dead, 2 Hurt in South Minneapolis Mass Shooting

Apr 30

*The scene where five people were shot in Minneapolis Tuesday evening.* ***MN CRIME PHOTO***

Three people were killed and two others wounded in a shooting late Tuesday night in south Minneapolis that police say was likely a targeted attack.

Minneapolis officers were dispatched shortly before midnight following three ShotSpotter activations near East 25th Street and Bloomington Avenue.

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Officers arrived to find five people shot at the scene. Two men and a woman were pronounced dead by paramedics. A second woman and another man were taken to the hospital, where police say the male victim was in “grave condition” as of early Wednesday.

UPDATE: Suspect Arrested by U.S. Marshals

Roughly one hour after the shooting, officers responded to another report of shots fired just five blocks south on the 3000 block of 15th Avenue South. While no victims were located there, police recovered evidence of gunfire in the area.

A short time later, a man was dropped off at Abbott Northwestern Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Authorities could not confirm whether he was connected to either shooting scene, but said the timing and proximity made it “highly suspicious.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that initial indications suggest the shooting was not random. “These victims were targeted,” he said during an early morning press conference, noting the city had seen a stretch of relative peace prior to the incident. “Now there are families that are grieving tonight,” he added. “This is an absolutely senseless tragedy.”

Officers are reviewing video from multiple surveillance cameras in the area and say a “substantial amount of evidence” has been recovered. Police, firefighters, and EMS all attempted lifesaving measures at the scene, but were unable to revive the three who died.

Chief O’Hara described the scene as emotionally difficult, especially as family members arrived while officers were still performing CPR. “Our officers were here while family members were arriving and just wailing in pain,” he said. “It’s always difficult anytime there’s one victim, let alone multiple.”

All victims were described as adults, but their names and ages have not yet been released. Investigators are working to determine whether the sixth victim found at the hospital is directly connected to either shooting scene.

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Police are urging anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit a tip at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org.

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner is expected to release the names of the victims, along with the cause and manner of death in the coming days.

Thursday, May 1: Chief O’Hara confirmed that the 28-year-old man, who was previously in “grave” condition, died Thursday at the hospital. He has not yet been idtenfieid.

UPDATE: Suspect Arrested by U.S. Marshals

UPDATE: The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has identified the four people killed in the shooting as 27-year-old Evan Ramon Denny, of Saint Paul; 17-year-old Joseph Douglas Goodwin, of Minneapolis; 20-year-old Merelle Joan White, of Red Lake; and 28-year-old LeRas Francis Rainey, of Minneapolis. Denny died from multiple gunshot wounds. White, the only female victim, died from a gunshot wound to the head. Rainey also died from a gunshot wound to the head. Goodwin died from gunshot wounds to the head and neck. All four deaths were classified as homicides.

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