Man shot dead in downtown Minneapolis overnight

A man shot to death early Sunday in downtown Minneapolis was found lying in the road near a well-traveled intersection, authorities said.

No one has been arrested in connection with his death.

According to police, officers were alerted about 1:50 a.m. to the sound of gunshots fired near Washington and 1st avenues N. There are many restaurants, nightspots and entertainment venues in the area that are bustling on a summer weekend.

A person at the scene flagged down a police sergeant and directed him to the man lying in the road. The sergeant began cardiopulmonary resuscitation before other emergency personnel arrived. The man was taken to HCMC, where he was declared dead a short time later.

Police investigators questioned people at the scene and collected physical evidence.

Anyone with information about Sunday morning's killing is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous and information leading to an arrest may lead to a reward. Information can also be called in to police at 612-692-TIPS (8477).

Police suspect that the man's death had some connection to a traffic incident, police spokesman John Elder said Sunday. He declined to offer further details on that aspect of the case.

Sunday's death marked the third homicide in downtown Minneapolis since Memorial Day weekend. A woman was fatally stabbed on May 25 about a block off the Hennepin Avenue theater district. On June 10, a man was shot dead while apparently trying to break up a fight Monday in an alley near the downtown Minneapolis police station. A second man was seriously injured in the same shooting.

Sunday's gunfire also came roughly 24 hours after two men were shot and wounded downtown around bar-closing time early Saturday, and police later arrested a boy thought to be connected to the crime.

In that incident, an off-duty officer reported hearing gunfire in the area of Hennepin Avenue S. and S. 7th Street, a block from Target Center, about 1:20 a.m. Officers found a man who had been shot. Around the same time, another gunshot victim was found in the 500 block of N. 1st Street.

Both men were taken to HCMC with noncritical injuries, Elder said.

On Sunday afternoon, Mayor Jacob Frey released a statement of concern about the downtown violence. "Chief [Medaria] Arradondo and I have made a strong, coordinated response to violent crime a priority," he said. "Forging and strengthening partnerships with businesses and neighborhood organizations has been a significant piece of Minneapolis' crime prevention strategy. Still, as the early summer weeks have made clear, we as city leaders should step up and give our police department the resources and staffing it needs to successfully advance police-community relations and effectively curb violent crime."

Staff writer Liz Sawyer contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482