One dead after man shoots gun from Mpls. apartment, then flees and shoots two people near Willmar

One person is dead Tuesday after a man fired shots from the balcony of an apartment in the heart of Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood and then shot two people near Willmar as he attempted to evade law enforcement in a high-speed chase.

The events unfolded shortly before 1 p.m., when police were called to an apartment complex at the 2900 block of Lyndale Avenue S., where the man fired off several rounds into the street from the building’s top floor.

Police shuttered the busy intersection and surrounding blocks from W. 28th to Lake streets in the densely populated commercial and residential corridor as they attempted to negotiate his surrender.

According to a Tuesday night release from the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office, the man traveled west through several counties and then shot and injured a man at a rural Kandiyohi County residence. Police say the suspect then fatally shot a motorist that he attempted to carjack at the Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 23 bypass southeast of Willmar. Police were eventually able to take the man into custody. He was jailed in Kandiyohi County on charges that include murder.

A medical examiner will release the victim’s name after an autopsy and family is notified.

“Today, multiple lives were put in harm’s way, with one person sadly losing their life,” Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Imran Ali said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. Please continue to hold the victims, their families and our first responders in your prayers today.”

Bystanders observing the scene in Minneapolis recalled hearing the female negotiator pleading with the suspect to surrender.

“They were definitely making a concerted effort to convince [the suspect] they wouldn’t hurt him,” a witness, who asked not to be identified, told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “It sounded like he didn’t trust what they were saying.”

When shots rang out over the phone, the negotiator dropped to her knees and cried. Colleagues could be seen comforting her.

“After he left Minneapolis, it appears some crimes — some tragedies — occurred outside the city, in western counties,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a news briefing without offering specifics.

“It has been a busy day here in the city,” O’Hara said. “This was a very taxing situation that I know is weighing especially heavy on our crisis negotiators, who were on the phone with this individual. Our officers did absolutely everything they could. But it appears clear that this person was homicidal and just bent on committing violence.”

O’Hara said the shots in Minneapolis were fired shortly after an altercation involving the man’s ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, who arrived to the apartment to retrieve some items. The man and the woman share a child, who was at day care at the time. Police rushed there to ensure the child’s safety shortly after the suspect fled. The ex-girlfriend and the boyfriend were also not harmed.

O’Hara said that when police initially responded, it was unclear whether the suspect was still inside the apartment. There was no indication of a domestic violence history between the pair. O’Hara reminded the public that those wishing to retrieve belongings from a former partner may make arrangements for law enforcement to oversee the exchange, if they are concerned for their safety.

According to the emergency dispatch audio, the suspect fled the metro, and shortly before 2 p.m. a dispatcher reported a crash with injuries in McLeod County. At 2:03 p.m., a shooting was reported at an address on Hwy. 7 outside Lake Lillian in Kandiyohi County. Minutes later, a deputy radioed that a victim was in the house with a gunshot wound to the chest.

At one point, an officer or dispatcher radioed that the suspect was the man from Minneapolis: “He did just discharge a weapon … and he did say he was willing to shoot cops. Proceed cautiously.”

A short time later, the suspect was leading police on a chase of speeds of more than 100 mph while on the phone with the Minneapolis negotiator, threatening “suicide by cop.”

Police were prepared to place stop sticks to deflate the suspect’s tires and were in contact with OnStar to disable the vehicle when he bailed and was “attempting to steal another car,” an officer radioed. At 2:27 p.m., another motorist was reported with a gunshot wound to the head on Hwy. 23. That victim was pronounced dead at 2:46 p.m.

At about 2:29 p.m., the suspect was arrested, and a gun was recovered in the ditch.

Abby Simons and Kyeland Jackson contributed to this report.