Minneapolis police investigating city's first fatal shooting in more than 2 months
Minneapolis police say a man died in a shooting outside an apartment on the north side Saturday night, marking the city's first homicide in two months.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired on the 2000 block of West River Road North around 10:17 p.m.
The Hennepin County medical examiner says 27-year-old Davione Collins of Maple Grove, Minnesota was shot in the neck.
Police say he was found inside a vehicle that had crashed into the garage entrance of an apartment building.
"I'm very used to seeing emergency services of all kinds at this building," said Noah Branch, who lives in the building. "To have them in the building, ARs drawn, and be like, 'There's someone we're looking for,' was a little unnerving."
This is the first shooting death in Minneapolis since Feb. 7 and the first homicide since Feb. 15, according to police.
Chief Brian O'Hara says that's the longest stretch without a homicide in a decade.
"The city needs it," he said. "The police department needs it after everything everybody's been through."
O'Hara credits the decrease in deadly crime, particularly on the north side, to dozens of federal prosecutions against gang members, community-based organizations and the work of his officers.
"I think this year the difference that we're seeing is that we're having an impact on the south side as well, and that is driven by the police officers preventing homeless encampments from forming," O'Hara said. "They stopped at least two that I know of this weekend."
The Minneapolis Police Department's current staffing is about 580 officers, which O'Hara says is more than last year but still low.
He's optimistic about the incoming class of 40 recruits.
"That's something we desperately need," O'Hara said. "The city hasn't had a recruit class that large since the '90s."
No arrests were made in Saturday's shooting.
Minneapolis police data shows every category of crime is down this year compared to 2024.
Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online. All tips are anonymous.
