BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A shootout at Oak Grove Park in Brooklyn Park sent people ducking and running for safety as suspects fired off dozens of rounds during a family picnic last month, charges detail.
Brooklyn Park shootout
The backstory:
Brooklyn Park police responded shortly before 8 p.m. on May 24 to the shooting at Oak Grove Park.
Callers reported hearing between 30 and 50 shots being fired. One caller reported seeing the gunman fleeing the park after the shooting in a silver Toyota Camry and a black Jeep. Another caller reported a black SUV crashing into a tree at the park's entrance.
At the park, officers found 74 discharged casings across the park: 20 in the north-west corner of the parking lot next to a vehicle that had been struck, 15 in the southwest corner of the parking lot, by two other vehicles that had been hit, and then 39 other casings under a pavilion.
Local perspective:
Witnesses told police they saw three men running onto the Rush Creek Trail System following the shooting. Searching the trail, police encountered the three suspects: 23-year-old Beyan Kanneh, 23-year-old Alvin Gee, and 18-year-old Kevin Morris.
When asked, Kanneh admitted he had a gun in his waistband and handed over a 9mm Smith and Wesson. Officers also found two Glocks with extended magazines on Gee – one in his waistband and another in his armpit. Officers say Gee has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Family nearly caught in crossfire
Big picture view:
A witness told police he was at the park pavilion for a family picnic when he saw two groups begin to open fire on each other. One group of three to four men were in the parking lot and another group firing across from them.
The witness says after the shooting, Kanneh, Gee, and Morris walked out of the woods and checked on the man and his family, asking if they were alright.
Dig deeper:
Police say they also obtained surveillance video showing Kanneh, Gee, Morris, and a fourth unidentified man in a Nissan Rogue driving into the park and starting the gunfight, opening fire from the parking lot.
The surveillance video captured the reckless danger of the shooting, with bystanders ducking and running away to avoid the gunfire.
What's next:
Kanneh, Gee, and Morris all face reckless discharge and drive-by shooting charges under a dangerous weapons statue related to the gunfight.