Woman IDs son, 19, fatally shot in Minneapolis, who came to U.S. as toddler in breakthrough adoption

The 19-year-old man fatally shot over the weekend in Minneapolis was identified Monday by his mother as her son whose arrival from Ethiopia as a toddler marked a breakthrough in international adoption.

Connor Yoseph Green of Minneapolis was the man who was shot Saturday morning while in his car in the 4700 block of N. Lyndale Avenue, Diane Rupert said.

Green was dropping off a friend at his home late in the morning when the gunfire erupted, Rupert said. A car he had just bought crashed seconds after the shooting, and the friend provided CPR until emergency responders arrived, she said.

Green died at HCMC that same day, police said. There have been no arrests made in connection with the shooting that brought newly sworn-in Police Chief Brian O'Hara to the scene.

"We believe a second vehicle pulled up and fired multiple rounds" at the victim's car, said O'Hara, who was alerted by the ShotSpotter app to more than a dozen shots being fired. "It's absolutely outrageous."

Rupert said Green was adopted in April 2004 as a 14-month-old through the Ethiopia Adoption Program, a pilot project of Children's Home Society and Family Services in St. Paul.

His adoption and one other at the same time were the first through the program for Minnesota families. At the time, Minnesota was one of four states — along with Indiana, Massachusetts and Washington — newly licensed by the Ethiopian government for adoption, according to the U.S. State Department.

Connor Green's older brother, Drew, joined the family from South Korea, also through adoption.

Green graduated from Brooklyn Center High School and "was enrolled at Des Moines Area Community College but was working a little bit more" as a furniture mover to save some more money, Rupert said.

In July, Green was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree riot with a dangerous weapon in connection with a shooting in Brooklyn Center on July 6. More than 100 rounds were fired at the scene in the 5800 block of N. Xerxes Avenue. Green and another man were seen with guns and later arrested, according to police.

Callers to 911 said two groups of people were shooting at each other in the parking lot, police said. Several apartments and vehicles sustained damage from bullets, but no one was wounded, police added.

Green was released from jail two days later after posting a $20,000 bond. He was due back in court on Wednesday.

Police are urging that anyone with information about Green's death to call CrimeStoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted at CrimeStoppersMN.org. Information leading to an arrest and conviction may result in a reward.

There have been 74 homicides in Minneapolis this year, according to a Star Tribune database. There were 90 homicides in the city at this time last year.

Staff writer Liz Sawyer contributed to this report.