Updated Sept. 2, 2026, 11:01 p.m. ET
Three people were killed, including a suspected gunman, in a downtown Minneapolis high-rise Sept. 2 in a shooting that left three police officers wounded.
Three people in addition to the police officers were also wounded in the top-floor fracas, according to Minneapolis Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson.
Police investigating gunshots were called to the apartment building around 4:35 p.m. and followed the sounds of gunfire upstairs, where they got in a gunfight with the shooter, Peterson said.
Two people, including the gunman, died in the high rise. Another died after being taken to an area hospital. Two police officers were wounded by gun fire and another had unspecified injuries.
“It is unknown how he died,” Peterson said of the shooter.
“I am truly sickened and deeply saddened that once again there is a senseless crime of gun violence that took the lives of more than one innocent victim and injured numerous others,” Peterson told reporters Wednesday evening. “My heart goes out to the families.”
At least some of the victims lived in the apartment building, Peterson said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey thanked the officers who responded to the shooting and confronted the gunman.
“One thing that is clear is that our Minneapolis police officers acted with incredible bravery and courage,” Frey said. “But for their heroic work the death toll would be far higher.”
Frey said one officer was shot in the leg and the other was shot twice in the abdomen. Police said the third wounded officer’s injuries were not life threatening.
City officials asked people to avoid the downtown area where police are investigating the shooting.
Shooter known to police
Police were previously called to the building in June after the shooter threatened other building residents with an unspecified weapon, Peterson said.
“We were familiar with who this individual was,” he said.
Derrick Thompson, who had recently moved out of the building, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the suspected shooter had had a child custody dispute and recently obtained a permit to carry.
“He was fighting people every day, every damn day,” Thompson said. “He lost everything.”
‘Pray for Minnesota’
The shooting has drawn responses from leaders across Minnesota.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told the public to “pray for Minnesota.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents the district where the shooting happened, said in a post on X that she was “praying for all the families impacted by this horrific act of violence”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who is running for governor in the state, thanked law enforcement and said “her prayers are with the victims and their loved ones” in a post on X. Lisa Demuth, Klobuchar’s Republican opponent, echoed the sentiment and said she was “praying for the victims of this heinous crime” in a post on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was responding to the downtown shooting. “We will offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities,” Patel said in a statement on X.
‘It’s been really crazy’
Shawn Mosby, whose daughter was helping a friend move into a building, told CBS News that nearby residents inside heard “banging, shooting.”
“I guess it’s been insane. I’ve been on the phone with her, just making sure they barricaded the door, hiding in the bathroom. It’s been really crazy,” Mosby told the news outlet.
This is a developing story. Follow USA TODAY for additional updates.
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