Man fatally shot in Minneapolis homeless encampment

A 45-year old man was shot and killed Tuesday in a large homeless encampment in south Minneapolis' Phillips neighborhood.

Officers responded about 5:15 p.m. to reports of the shooting at Camp Nenookaasi, Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson Aaron Rose said at a news briefing.

The homeless encampment is southeast of 23rd Street and 13th Avenue S. and has recently housed about 180 people, according to its organizers.

Early investigation indicates the shooting took place inside a tent at the fenced-in encampment, Rose said. Police performed CPR before medical responders arrived and took over. The man was taken in an ambulance to HCMC, where he was pronounced dead despite the lifesaving efforts, Rose said.

A man suspected of shooting the victim was found near the encampment and arrested, and officers recovered a gun near him, Rose said. Another man was arrested inside the camp, but Rose said his involvement in the killing is unclear.

Joseph Kerr, who goes by Joker, said he was at the encampment and saw people run toward the tent to break up an argument before about six shots rang out.

The camp's occupants were ordered to evacuate while police investigated.

Police still had the camp closed off at about 8 p.m., and camp occupants were huddling on the sidewalks and gathering on a parked Metro Transit bus where they could warm up. Rose was unsure what time residents would be let back in.

The city had planned to dismantle the camp Thursday, but it has now been delayed to Dec. 19, according to an email from Enrique Velázquez, the city's director of regulatory services, sent to City Council Member Jamal Osman.

City officials said public safety and health concerns prompted the decision to close the encampment.

The delay comes after a majority of City Council members asked Mayor Jacob Frey last week to hold off on closure until mid-February. That request came days after a scores of encampment supporters at a public hearing voiced opposition to clearing the camp.

One reason Velázquez listed for the delay was that 52 of the occupants are set to move into housing between Dec. 14 and 18, through the city's partnership with Helix Health and Housing Services.

This latest camp was set up after the city cleared out another encampment along Hiawatha Avenue, known as the Wall of Forgotten Natives. Organizers and some council members have recently praised the new encampment, saying it's more organized and strictly run than other tent cities.

Some neighboring organizations have opposed the camp and pleaded for the city to dismantle it. Rose noted that police have had safety concerns about the camp and cited one other serious shooting incident there in the past month.

A couple of people who live near the encampment said Tuesday they were dismayed by the shooting, saying they think it's been more well-run than past encampments in the area.

"I've picked up fewer needles around my house with this encampment than I have since heroin came to Minnesota," said Mary Ellen Kaluza, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years.