One person was killed and six more were injured when a gunman sprayed dozens of rounds at a group standing on a sidewalk across from a high school in Minneapolis on Aug. 26, authorities said.
Officers responded to calls about shots fired just before 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 and found one man dead on the sidewalk, and five men and one woman who were injured. Investigators determined that a lone gunman stepped out of a vehicle near the intersection of Clinton Avenue and East 29th Street and fired about 30 rounds at people who were standing on a sidewalk before leaving in the vehicle.
Three of the injured had critical, life-threatening injuries, Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara said.
“This level of firepower unleashed in broad daylight is completely sickening and unacceptable,” O’Hara told reporters.
A suspect was not identified and no arrests had been made, according to a news release. Police did not provide updates to the case when reached by USA TODAY on Aug. 27.
“We have substantial pieces of evidence that we are reviewing and I feel confident that we will be able to identify this person,” O’Hara said.
It appears that at least one person who was standing on the sidewalk was targeted by the shooter, O’Hara said. When police arrived, they found the deceased victim and another man in critical condition at the original scene of the shooting. The five other gunshot wound victims had fled on foot and some were located in nearby businesses. There was also damage to vehicles parked near the scene from stray bullets, O’Hara said. The shooting happened in an area where people are known to “hang out” outside, he said.
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All six injured victims are expected to survive, he said. The suspect used a high-velocity .223 rifle that is not believed to be fully automatic, O’Hara said.
“It’s obvious from the injuries that people suffered here just the significant damage that these kinds of rounds can do to the human body. It’s gross,” O’Hara said.
The shooting happened directly across the street from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, a Catholic school, and students were at the school at the time of the shooting, O’Hara said. The school’s website shows the school year is already in session.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gunman opens fire in broad daylight on Minneapolis sidewalk
