1 fatally shot, 1 injured in Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood

One man was killed and another injured after an altercation erupted in gunfire Wednesday night in south Minneapolis.

Officers responded to the 2300 block of E. Franklin Avenue around 6:30 p.m. after multiple 911 callers reported hearing upward of 20 shots in the Seward neighborhood.

While en route to the scene, a 33-year-old man suffering from a noncritical gunshot wound to the leg flagged down squad cars on the 2500 block of Riverside Avenue, according to emergency dispatch audio.

Half a mile away, another man without a pulse was found in a parking lot behind Cedars 94 apartments. Officers told dispatchers he had a single gunshot wound to the chest.

He was taken to HCMC, where he later died of his injuries.

"It certainly appears these individuals knew one another," police spokesman John Elder said. A preliminary investigation indicates that an altercation between a group of people near the apartment complex escalated into violence, he said.

No arrests have been made.

Witnesses reported seeing a dark sedan flee the area after several people began firing, according to dispatch audio. Hours after the shooting, more than 30 evidence markers littered the crime scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Anonymous tips may also be provided at CrimeStoppersMN.org. Those with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a financial reward.

The shooting happened hours after Minneapolis business leaders reiterated the call for more police officers to patrol downtown after a summer of high-profile robberies and assaults — and just days after an apparently random homicide in the city's theater district.

Although long-term trends show a decline in violent crime in Minneapolis and across the state, recent shootings have shaken the perception of safety downtown, home to nearly 50,000 people.

Wednesday night's killing was Minneapolis' 33rd homicide of the year.