A 14-year-old and a man in his 20s are dead after being shot by a family member in Minneapolis on Monday.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the suspect in the shooting, a 23-year-old man, bailed out of Hennepin County Jail earlier in the day.
He had been arrested on Feb. 15 on a warrant for charges of fleeing the police and possessing an illegally modified handgun, which could be used as an automatic weapon, Minneapolis police said.
Chief O’Hara said that after being released from jail, the suspect went to a family member’s home on 42nd and Irving Avenue North in the Camden neighborhood around 3:30 p.m.
Inside the home, the suspect opened fire, shooting and killing the 14-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man, who police say were the suspect’s cousins.
A community leader at the scene on Monday night told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the 14-year-old victim wasn’t even supposed to be home but had been picked up early from school.
Also at the scene, fellow students of the victim were seen breaking down in tears as they learned the news of their classmate’s death.
Four kids, aged 7, 8, 9 and 10, were inside the home at the time of the shooting, but were not physically harmed.
The scene from Chopper 5 on Monday night (KSTP-TV)
The scene from Chopper 5 on Monday night (KSTP-TV)
Law enforcement said the double homicide is connected to an officer-involved shooting near an IHOP in Brooklyn Center, less than three miles from the Minneapolis shooting.
Brooklyn Center police said officers responded to an area with businesses near the 5500 and 5600 blocks of Brooklyn Boulevard around 3:55 p.m. on a report that a man was waving a gun outside the businesses.
When law enforcement arrived, the suspect confronted them, according to Brooklyn Center police, causing an exchange of gunfire.
The suspect was struck by gunfire and ultimately pronounced dead after being brought to a nearby hospital, Brooklyn Center police said, adding that no officers were hit by gunfire.
It’s unclear how many Brooklyn Center police officers fired their weapons, but the department confirmed the officers involved have been placed on critical incident leave.
Chief O’Hara’s full remarks from the scene in Minneapolis are available below.
Chopper 5 flys over the scene Monday afternoon (KSTP-TV)
Chopper 5 flys over the scene Monday afternoon (KSTP-TV)
For Related Stories: Brooklyn Center  Fatal Shooting  Homicide  Minneapolis  Officer-Involved Shooting