Eagan, Eden Prairie firefighter dies in south Minneapolis shootout
MINNEAPOLIS — A metro firefighter is dead and another man is injured after an overnight shootout in south Minneapolis, police said.
Officers were called to a shooting on the 900 block of Cedar Avenue South around 12:40 a.m. Sunday, according to the Minneapolis Police Department. They found a man in his 40s with life-threatening injuries. He was taken to Hennepin Healthcare, where he later died.
Another man showed up at the hospital with survivable injuries, police said.
A spokesperson for the City of Eden Prairie confirmed firefighter Joseph Johns died in the shooting. He worked for the Eden Prairie and Eagan fire departments. He was not on duty at the time.
"You were the best human and I will miss you dearly," Justin Anderson, a friend and former colleague of Johns' wrote in a Facebook post.
Johns began at the Eagan Fire Department as a volunteer in 2015 before becoming a firefighter in 2020, according to the City of Eagan.
"We are grateful for everyone's kindness, patience, and empathy as we navigate this moment of profound loss," a spokesperson for Eagan said.
The shootout began when someone fired across Ninth Street at a group gathered in a parking lot, police said. The group then started firing back.
No one has been arrested.
The shooting is under investigation.