Two people were fatally shot and another was wounded early Friday at a north Minneapolis after-hours establishment where up to 100 people were gathered.
Police taped off the area around the nondescript building, which is in the midst of a neighborhood and does not have a sign indicating what it is.
Police were called to a report of shots fired at the building at 39th St. and Fremont Av. N at about 3 a.m. When they arrived they found two men dead, one inside the building and one outside. Their identities have not been released.
Police Sgt. Stephen McCarty said 50 to 100 people were gathered at the building when the shooting occurred.
About 20 minutes after police were called, a man arrived at Hennepin County Medical Center with "non-life threatening injuries," McCarty said. It was later determined that the man had been at the scene of the shooting.
McCarty said police are interviewing several people connected to the incident, but no suspects are in custody. He said that preliminary information indicates that the public is not at risk.
According to people at the scene, one of the victim's nicknames was Meaty, and several who knew him said he was in his 30s and had several children.
Among the people who streamed by the intersection was Kevin Gray, 30, who said he knew Meaty and was a regular at the club. He thinks a close friend was the second victim.
"I'm lost. Right now I'm' shook up," he said. "I don't want it to be anybody [I know]. I'm ready to cry now. My stomach hurts."
He said the venue usually stayed open until 4 and was a relaxed spot to go dancing, hang out, and participate in open mic nights.
Gray said one of the artists performing early Friday wanted him to come out and deejay for him, but he turned it down because he didn't feel like going out.
And now, he said, "look what happened."
Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call 612-692-8477.
Maya Rao • 612-673-4210
