Brooklyn Park police searching for juvenile suspect in weekend shooting
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. -- Authorities in the north metro are searching for a juvenile suspect in connection to a weekend shooting in Brooklyn Park that left a teenager hurt and several cars and apartments damaged.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department said Tuesday that investigators are working to apprehend the suspect and are following several leads in the case. Additionally, the city has increased uniformed patrols in the area where the shooting took place.
The shooting happened late Saturday night along the 8100 block of Zane Avenue North. Responding officers found a 17-year-old boy with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds at the scene.
Investigators say more than 40 bullets were fired, leaving seven cars and two apartment units damaged. One fully-automatic handgun with an extended magazine was found at the scene.
On Sunday, investigators stopped a suspect vehicle, and a search produced a non-serialized, or "ghost," gun, which was believed to be involved in the shooting.
City officials say the north Minneapolis suburb has seen an increase in violent crime and "an unprecedented increase" in gun violence. In response, city leaders have moved extra resources to the Hennepin County Violent Offenders Task Force, which focuses on gun crime.
According to a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension report last week, the Twin Cities metro experienced a 24% increase in violent crime in 2021.