Doctors, gun violence prevention group demand action after Minneapolis mass shooting
Some Minnesota groups are demanding action after a mass shooting in downtown Minneapolis Wednesday afternoon.
Three people died, including the suspected shooter, in the incident near 15 East Grant Street.
Members of the group Protect Minnesota were joined by lawmakers and doctors at Minneapolis City Hall on Friday morning. They wanted a chance to respond to the shooting and talk about the toll of gun violence in the city.
Victims of the incident were taken to Hennepin Healthcare and treated for their injuries. That's also where doctors and physicians regularly care for victims of gun violence in Minneapolis and beyond. Dr. Tim Kummer, who was at the scene of the Annunciation shooting a year ago, responded to Wednesday's mass shooting and said they continually see firsthand the impact of gun violence on victims and their families, healthcare workers and first responders like police officers.
Kummer and others are calling for meaningful action to prevent gun violence in the city.
"It is tiring. We are so tired. When these tragedies happen, many of us rush to work, do what we have to do, maybe have a cry with a colleague, talk to our support team and then we tuck it away and go back to 'meet your teacher' night. But this is not sustainable," Kummer said.
Maggie Emery, executive director of Protect Minnesota, added, "We cannot ask these people to simply absorb this forever. We cannot continue to normalize the trauma of children being shot at school. We cannot continue to normalize police officers being shot while responding to a shooting."
The group was joined by DFL state Sen. Scott Dibble, who talked about the failure to pass a comprehensive gun violence package at the Minnesota State Capitol last session. He's renewing a plea for lawmakers to try to pass that legislation next session.
