An Illinois man was allegedly trying to sell drugs at a Minneapolis homeless encampment when a dispute led to a shootout that killed a woman and injured six others, newly filed charges say.

More than 30 shots were fired at the encampment on Lake Street and 28th Avenue South on Sept. 15, according to a criminal complaint. Three of the seven people shot had life-threatening injuries, and the woman died of her wounds days later. 

The 31-year-old Illinois man was arrested on Wednesday. Charging documents say that when he was taken into custody, he was carrying two bags of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine.

In a post-Miranda statement, the man said he was part of a group of drug dealers from Illinois who had turned to selling in Minnesota, specifically along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis. According to the charges, he complained that the city had "shut down" the Greenway, and decided he should start selling drugs at the encampment on Lake Street.

The man said he had just spent two days in jail for allegedly driving under the influence, and when he was released around 6 p.m., he met up with his four associates with the intention of going to the Lake Street site, according to the complaint.

When the group arrived around 10 p.m., they learned that there was already a separate group selling drugs, the man said in his statement. The other group was yelling that they didn't want anyone else to sell drugs, so the Illinois man said he and his group approached them.

He said he was carrying a pistol at the time; two others from his cohort were also carrying firearms, according to the complaint. They then had a face-to-face confrontation about who was allowed to sell drugs at the encampment.

The dispute soon led to a shootout when, according to the Illinois man, a man from the group that was already at Lake Street shot one of his associates in the chest. After that, "everyone else" started shooting, he said in his statement. 

The complaint says he fired "once or twice" until his gun jammed and he fell backwards into another tent. He then got up and hopped a fence to run away. He added that he sold his gun to someone on Lake Street for $200.

According to the charging documents, investigators also spoke to a member of the Lake Street group, who claimed a member of the Illinois party fired first. The witness said that the woman who was shot was not part of the dispute and was instead inside of an adjacent tent when shots broke out.

The Illinois man was charged with first-degree riot and illegal possession of a firearm. The criminal complaint says he has multiple felony convictions in Illinois, including robbery, damage to property and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is currently in custody.

The encampment was shut down after the mass shooting; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the city council had been trying to clear the site, which is on a private lot, for months. The city had issued owner Hamoudi Sabri nearly a dozen public health notices for drug paraphernalia, open fire, excessive debris and lack of sanitation.

On Tuesday, a judge granted the city's request for a temporary restraining order against Sabri. In response to the decision, Sabri said he still plans to hold the city "accountable," and added his priority is "the dignity and safety of our unhoused neighbors."

Note: The above video first aired on Sept. 24, 2025.