Neighbors ID woman, 67, fatally shot along with her daughter in SE. Minneapolis

They were shot in a Minneapolis apartment late Saturday; police have made no arrests.

February 11, 2019 at 11:12AM
Two women were fatally shot in this apartment complex near University and Central in Minneapolis.
Two women were fatally shot in this apartment complex near University and Central in Minneapolis. (CJ Sinner — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Neighbors at a southeast Minneapolis apartment building said Sunday they're shaken after a 67-year-old resident and her daughter were fatally shot there late Saturday night.

Minneapolis police said Sunday morning that they're looking for a suspect or suspects who fled before officers arrived. They did not offer a motive for the crime, which took place about 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Holmes Park Village in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue SE.

Police did not release the victims' names, but neighbors identified the older woman, a longtime resident of the building, as Eileen Mark. Her daughter, who was visiting, was also killed, they said.

The seven-story housing complex with several dozen apartments and a handful of townhouses serves low-income tenants who are elderly or disabled. It is near Holmes Park, an elementary school, a church and a sports bar, where gunfire is rare.

Residents described the building as usually quiet and calm.

Teri Welch said she lives three floors above where the shootings took place. She heard gunfire Saturday night as well as the stairwell door opening and closing many times, though that may have been police, she said.

"This is very disturbing to all of us," said Welch, who has lived there for five years.

Welch said Mark volunteered at a homeless shelter, sometimes making hundreds of sandwiches for people there. She collected clothing to give to the needy as well.

"She was a wonderful lady. She volunteered her time ... with homeless children," Welch said.

She said Mark kept to herself. Welch had never met Mark's daughter.

Joe Donovan, who also lives in the building, called the incident "pretty scary" and said he heard the gunshots as well.

"It hits home here," he said. "I hope they catch whoever did this real fast."

Donovan said a resident who lived near Mark had gone into her apartment after the shooting and put his fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. That neighbor was briefly considered a suspect because he had touched the body, Donovan said, but police quickly cleared him.

Donovan, who has lived in the building for eight years, said he believes the suspect fled down the fire escape.

Police spokesman John Elder said that detectives and officers were "talking to a boatload of people who may have seen something." Elder said they ruled out a murder-suicide.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Electronic tips may be submitted at CrimeStoppersMN.org.

All tips are anonymous, and anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a reward.

Early Sunday, police responded to another double shooting, this one sometime after midnight near 48th and Sheridan avenues N., according to emergency dispatch audio. The victims' conditions weren't immediately known.

Staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Erin Adler • 612-673-1781

Two women were shot and killed in this apartment complex.
Two women were shot and killed in this apartment complex. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Two women were shot to death in this Minneapolis apartment complex.
Two women were shot to death in this Minneapolis apartment complex. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writers

about the writers

Erin Adler

Reporter

Erin Adler is a suburban reporter covering Dakota and Scott counties for the Minnesota Star Tribune, working breaking news shifts on Sundays. She previously spent three years covering K-12 education in the south metro and five months covering Carver County.

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Paul Walsh

Reporter

Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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