Minneapolis, 7 January 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Three young men are dead after a shooting at a grocery store in south Minneapolis and police believe the gunman may be on the loose.
The shooting occurred around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Seward Market and Hamal Meat grocery store on Franklin Avenue.
According to Sgt. William Palmer, police think the someone might have tried to rob the store.
He said all three victims were declared dead at the scene.
In the hours after the shooting, police searched the area with dogs. But as of 11:30 p.m. they had not made any arrests.
The store is located on E. Franklin Avenue near 24th Street in city’s Seward neighborhood, a middle-class area south of downtown with a significant population of Somali immigrants.
The three victims may have ties to the Somali community. Members of the community were seen crying and hugging near the crime scene.
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Neighbors familiar with the store said it was equipped with surveillance cameras. But police have not confirmed that.
The deaths bring the total number of homicides in Minneapolis to four for the year. At this time last year, there were no homicides.
In all of 2009, Minneapolis recorded 19 homicides, the lowest number in more than two decades and far below the city’s high of 97 in 1995.
The triple homicide is getting some high-level attention. Both Mayor R.T. Rybak and Police Chief Tim Dolan went to the scene. Rybak made a plea to the community and asked that anyone with any information come forward.
The first homicide of 2010 occurred Saturday. Police found Dontae Deshun Johnson, 31, shot to death outside a vehicle on 6th Street N. No one has been arrested in the case.
Source: KSTP TV
