Officials ID man shot to death at Minneapolis home where fire erupted hours later

Police have yet to say whether the two incidents at the same address are related.

November 2, 2022 at 12:22PM
The fire broke out early Saturday morning at the Midtown-Phillips house on 15th Avenue S. in Minneapolis, where a man had been found dead of a gunshot hours earlier the previous night. (Minneapolis Fire Department/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Officials have identified the man who was shot to death late last week at a south Minneapolis home where a fire erupted hours later.

Frank J. Ortley, 35, was hit by gunfire multiple times Friday night at the home in the 2700 block of S. 15th Avenue and died at the scene, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday.

No arrests have been announced in the shooting, and officials have said they don't know whether the homicide and the fire are linked, but police Sgt. Garrett Parten said Wednesday that investigators are continuing to look into that possibility.

Police said an argument between Ortley and "a male known to him" escalated into gunfire.

There have been 73 homicides in the city so far this year, according to a Star Tribune database. There were 84 homicides in Minneapolis at this time last year.

Firefighters responded to the house fire at about 6:40 a.m. The blaze extended from the first floor through the roof. All residents got out of the home without physical harm, and firefighters extinguished most of the flames within an hour.

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Paul Walsh

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

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