A killing near same Minneapolis intersection for second straight weekend: 'These arguments escalate into violence so quickly'



Two were killed and three wounded — including two teen girls — in a shooting early Saturday morning around the intersection Hennepin and Fifth in downtown Minneapolis.

It was the second straight weekend that a killing took place around that intersection. The previous Saturday, a 16-year-old girl was killed after a hit-and-run driver plowed into a crowd following a late-night fight.

'You are not going to have downtown Minneapolis recover until you have safe streets and clean streets.'

In regard to the latest killing, Minneapolis Police Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell told KMSP-TV, "Five families had their lives changed last night, and our hearts go out to them. It’s extraordinarily tragic."

Blackwell added to the station, "These arguments escalate into violence so quickly."

Investigators told KMSP there's no apparent connection between the incidents — but that hasn't eased the mind of at least one local business owner.

"It happened two weeks in a row. Why couldn’t it happen three weeks in a row?" Daniel Stensgaard — owner of Daniel’s Custom Clothing, a high-end store overlooking the intersection — asked the station.

"I just don’t even feel comfortable anymore," Stensgaard remarked to KMSP about the city, noting that he's planning to relocate his shop within 45 days.

"It’s sad that I’m reading about 14, 16, 17-year-olds," he added to the station. "Crime [on] Hennepin Avenue has always been a bit notorious, but nothing like this… you are not going to have downtown Minneapolis recover until you have safe streets and clean streets."

In regard to the latest killing, KMSP said police recovered a gun at the scene of the shooting and arrested one person for rioting.

Concerning the previous killing on Sept. 14, officers responded to a report of a hit-and-run crash on Fifth Street North at Hennepin Avenue around 12:23 a.m., and police said a female suspect drove in reverse on Hennepin and then drove the wrong way on Fifth Street into the crowd.

Six people were taken to Hennepin Healthcare, including the 16-year-old girl who later died; another victim sustained life-threatening injuries while a handful of others suffered less serious injuries.

Stensgaard spoke to WCCO-TV about the first incident, telling the station that city leaders "should have their asses down here starting at 11 o'clock at night and let them walk around and watch the shortage of police officers and what's happened."

You can read a video report here about both killings.

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'It's a zoo out here, man': Teen girl killed after driver plows into crowd following late-night fight in downtown Minneapolis



A teenage girl was killed after a hit-and-run driver plowed into a crowd following an after-midnight fight involving multiple teens over the weekend in downtown Minneapolis — and business owners and residents are fed-up with the lawlessness, WCCO-TV reported.

Officers responded to a report of a hit-and-run crash on Fifth Street North at Hennepin Avenue around 12:23 a.m. Saturday, the station said, citing police, who said the female suspect drove in reverse on Hennepin and then drove the wrong way on Fifth Street into the crowd.

Chief O'Hara added to WCCO, presumably in reference to the involved teenagers, that 'I'm not their parent, right? So I can tell you my kid isn't gonna be hanging out on Hennepin Avenue at 12:30 at night in the middle of all this stuff going on here with bars.'

Six people were taken to Hennepin Healthcare, including a 16-year-old girl who later died, the station said, adding that another victim sustained life-threatening injuries while a handful of others suffered less serious injuries.

"The video of this incident is absolutely horrific," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said, according to WCCO. "There aren't words to describe how tragic and senseless it is."

The station interviewed residents and business owners who expressed outrage and frustration over what they call an out-of-control environment that plays out on a weekly basis.

"It's a nuthouse out here, man," one downtown resident told WCCO. "That's every weekend. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner." The resident added to the station off camera that "it's a zoo out here, man, and it's not getting any better."

Daniel Stensgaard, a business owner, added to the station that city leaders "should have their asses down here starting at 11 o'clock at night and let them walk around and watch the shortage of police officers and what's happened."

Chief O'Hara added to WCCO, presumably in reference to the involved teenagers, that "I'm not their parent, right? So I can tell you my kid isn't gonna be hanging out on Hennepin Avenue at 12:30 at night in the middle of all this stuff going on here with bars."

The police report added that the suspect drove out of downtown but that witnesses followed her, the station said. Police noted that representatives from multiple law enforcement agencies stopped the suspect on the 2300 block of Bryant Avenue North and arrested her, after which she was booked into Hennepin County Jail, WCCO said, adding that charges are pending.

You can view a video report here about the incident, which includes interviews with concerned locals and business owners as well as a brief clip of the hit-and-run, which appears to end prior to the moment of impact.

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