2 police officers shot in downtown Minneapolis; several others injured, city officials report

Minneapolis police are responding to a shooting near 15 East Grant Street that has left multiple victims injured, including two police officers, according to a city alert. The message urged residents to avoid the area as the situation continued to develop.

A source tells WCCO that a suspect is down, which is corroborated by scanner audio. A high-ranking official also told WCCO that the two officers are likely to be alright.  

The scene, at the intersection of Nicollet and Grant, drew an extraordinary show of force from law enforcement agencies well beyond the Minneapolis Police Department.

Officers and vehicles arrived from St. Louis Park, Edina, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State Patrol, transit police, and sheriff's deputies from surrounding jurisdictions. St. Paul's ATF field division also reported that special agents have responded to the scene.

Police are asking the public to avoid the area from 12th Street to Franklin Avenue and Hennepin Avenue to Third Avenue South.

"My public safety team is responding to a shooting that took place downtown Minneapolis this afternoon. State officials are on the ground to support local law enforcement and we will share more information as it becomes available," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said he is aware of the shooting and will offer "any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities."

The focus of the response centered on an apartment complex on Grant Street, where officers armed with long guns kept watch on the building for an extended period. Two heavy armored SWAT vehicles were staged at the intersection, and ambulances lined both the immediate area and the block leading toward downtown.

Several stretchers were seen being brought out of the building. Some of those removed appeared to be nursing leg injuries, while the condition of others was not immediately clear.

WCCO's Conor Wight said a crowd gathered nearby appeared to spot activity around the eighth floor of the complex, where people could be seen inside windows, believed to be residents remaining in their units as police worked to assess the situation.

Witness describes hearing gunshots, seeing officer shot in squad car

Abdiwakil Mohamed, from south Minneapolis, said he heard the gunshots as he was driving down La Salle Avenue. He said he heard three gunshots that sounded like they came from a rifle, and noticed that a police officer had been shot in their car. The officer then slammed on the gas and hit another car, he added.

The shooter, who he said had fired from a high vantage point in a nearby building, continued to shoot people on the ground, Mohamed said. He saw an officer pull off their bulletproof vest to see if they had been shot in the chest. 

From there, police came "everywhere, they came from every single side," he said. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.