Man shot to death outside in Loring Park area; shooter on the loose

A man was shot to death in the Loring Park area of downtown Minneapolis early Thursday in the city's second homicide in a 6 ½-hour span, authorities said.

Several callers to 911 reported hearing gunfire shortly after 3:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of Yale Place, said police spokesman John Elder.

Officers arrived to find a man outside with a gunshot wound, and emergency medical personnel declared him dead at the scene, Elder said.

Early indications are that numerous people "had gotten into a dispute in which shots were fired," Elder said in a statement.

The shooter was gone by the time police arrived, he said.

The identity of the dead man has not been released.

In another fatal shooting, Minneapolis officers were summoned shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday to N. Knox and Plymouth avenues, where there was a "relatively large" gathering outside and gunfire following a dispute, Elder said.

A man with a gunshot wound was declared dead by medical personnel, he said.

No arrests have been made in connection with this killing, and his identity has not been released.

There have been 45 homicides in Minneapolis so far this year, according to Star Tribune records.

Anyone with information about either case is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482