Minneapolis police are investigating a homicide at a homeless encampment in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood after gunfire fatally wounded a resident there early Thursday morning.
Officers responded to the Samatar Crossing encampment at S. 6th Street and 15th Avenue, around 6:30 a.m., where they located a man lying unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at HCMC.
It's not immediately clear what precipitated the shooting or how many people were involved. The victim has yet to be identified.
A short distance from U.S. Bank Stadium, Samatar Crossing is one of more than two dozen encampments that the city tracks, and one of four in the Sixth Ward. It popped up during the State Fair, grew to some 70 occupants by October and continues to expand despite the deepening snow and freezing temperatures.
It sits on property belonging to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT); Metro Transit runs the nearby Cedar-Riverside light-rail station.
In a strongly-worded email to constituents, Council Member Jamal Osman condemned state leaders for ignoring his pleas to help ensure the safety of 100 unhoused people living at the encampment, where conditions have deteriorated this winter. It took six weeks and the intervention of a state legislator just to get portable toilets delivered to the site — even after human waste piled up amid the tents.
"My staff and I have been begging for action at this encampment for months. The Governor, MnDOT, and everyone else involved have avoided responsibility, passed off blame..." said Osman, who accused the government agency of refusing to meet with community members about the issue.
"Politicians have no qualms about coming around Cedar Riverside at election time, but when a homeless encampment puts the health and safety of every resident there at risk, the Governor and his appointees couldn't be bothered to show up for the community," Osman continued, demanding MnDOT work with the city to close the camp as soon as possible. "The residents I represent deserve better."
