Officers responding to a shooting at a Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday faced intense gunfire and poor visibility caused by a haze inside the building, authorities said. At least two people were killed and several others were injured.
Minneapolis Police Interim Chief Bill Peterson said officers exchanged gunfire with the suspected shooter as they worked to reach victims and evacuate residents to safety. Three officers were injured during the response, including two who suffered gunshot wounds.
The suspected shooter, who has not been publicly identified, was also confirmed dead. Peterson said police were “familiar with who this individual was.” Authorities have not yet determined exactly how the shooter died, although a law enforcement source told CNN that a preliminary investigation suggests the person may have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The violence sent residents scrambling for safety. Some ran through hallways while others remained inside their apartments as officers entered the building.
Video obtained by CNN affiliate WCCO appeared to show dozens of law enforcement officers rushing into the apartment building during the shooting. Later footage showed officers carrying long guns positioned outside as several people were transported from the scene on stretchers.
Police cruisers, armored vehicles and ambulances surrounded the area while emergency crews continued working at the scene.
“But for their heroic work, the death toll would have been far higher,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during a news conference Wednesday night.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second victim later died at a hospital, Minneapolis officials said. Three other civilians who were shot were transported to hospitals for treatment.
The shooting happened about five miles from Annunciation Catholic Church, where two children were killed and 27 others were wounded in a mass shooting roughly a year earlier.
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Garrett Parten said officers were initially dispatched around 4:36 p.m. after receiving a report that someone had been shot. Additional emergency calls soon came in reporting more gunfire.
Officers entered the high-rise apartment building and found wounded victims in the lobby before moving toward the sound of gunfire on an upper floor.
As officers advanced, they encountered what Parten described as “a haze that significantly limited their visibility.”
“We don’t know whether it was smoke or if there was some other event that caused that haze on the upper-level floor,” Peterson said.
City officials later said some officers experienced “adverse effects” from the unidentified substance.
Peterson said gunfire could be heard over police radio transmissions and throughout the building as officers responded.
One officer was shot in the leg and suffered a non-life-threatening injury. A second officer was taken into surgery after being wounded, while a third officer was evaluated for injuries that were also considered non-life-threatening.
“As officers quickly moved from unit to unit to assist anyone who needed help, I can’t emphasize enough how dangerous this situation was and how heroic our officers were in response,” Frey said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday night that all three injured officers were expected to make full recoveries. Their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Earlier that day, police had also been called to the same apartment complex over a dispute that may have involved a person facing eviction, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the incident.
Umecua Agnew, 48, said she was inside an elevator when she heard gunfire coming from the lobby. A young girl in the elevator was preparing to step out when Agnew quickly pulled her back inside.
“I grabbed her back and I hit the button so the elevator could go up … so we wouldn’t get shot,” she told CNN.
