Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara speaks after a double homicide Monday afternoon.
Two people were shot and killed inside a north Minneapolis home Monday afternoon in what police say was a targeted family shooting.
The shooting was reported around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at a residence in the 4200 block of Irving Avenue North, where officers discovered two victims dead inside the home.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a 23-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy were killed after a suspect entered the residence shortly after being released from the Hennepin County Jail.
According to O’Hara, the suspect, a 24-year-old man, had been arrested by Minneapolis police on Feb. 15 on warrants connected to fleeing police and possessing a handgun that was modified with a switch allowing it to function as a fully automatic weapon. Investigators say he was released Monday then went directly to a family member’s home, where several relatives were present.
“After he entered the home, he shot and killed two individuals who are his cousins, we believe,” O’Hara said during a media briefing. “One is a 23-year-old man. The other is a 14-year-old boy.”
“After he entered the home, he shot and killed two individuals who are his cousins, we believe,” O’Hara said during a media briefing. “One is a 23-year-old man. The other is a 14-year-old boy.”
The chief said the victims’ grandmother was inside the home along with multiple young children at the time of the shooting.
“I spoke to grandma while she was still on the scene,” O’Hara said. “And she said in addition to the two, the boy and the man, the young man who are now deceased, there was also a 7-year-old, 8-year-old, 9- and 10-year-old children inside the house at the time with their grandma. Thank God they were not physically injured during this incident.”
Police said the suspect fled after the shootings. While officers were investigating the scene, another adult male arrived armed with a handgun and was taken into custody. Authorities said that person is not believed to be involved in the killings.
“That person has been arrested, and he is being booked downtown by Minneapolis police,” O’Hara said. “At this time, he's being booked on assault and obstruction charges. We do not believe he is involved in the double murder. He came to the scene afterwards armed with a handgun.”
Investigators are still working to determine a motive. O’Hara said family members suggested the suspect may have believed relatives were connected to his earlier arrest, though police have found no evidence supporting that claim.
The chief described the suspect as someone well known to law enforcement and confirmed he had prior contact with police beyond the recent arrest.
Authorities believe the suspect later became involved in an officer-involved shooting in Brooklyn Center, an incident now under investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Police have not yet released the identities of the victims or the suspect as investigators continue working to establish the full timeline of events.
