Downtown Minneapolis shooting: Man killed after suspect shot into group of people

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man was killed and another man was injured in downtown Minneapolis early Wednesday when police say a suspect shot into a group of people at close range. 

This was the third fatal shooting in Minneapolis in a span of about 13 hours, which started with a mass shooting on Tuesday afternoon. 

Downtown Minneapolis fatal shooting

What we know:

A shooting in downtown Minneapolis killed a man and injured another man early Wednesday morning, police said. 

The shooting happened near North 8th Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, which is close to The Capitol Grill, the Orpheum Theater, The Saloon, Crave and other establishments. 

Officers responded to Hennepin Avenue around 2:08 a.m. Wednesday, where they found a man dead from gunshot wounds. 

Police believe the man was part of a group gathered on the sidewalk when a gunman opened fire at close range and then left the scene on foot. 

Then, at about 2:20 a.m., a man was dropped off at Hennepin Healthcare with an apparent non-life-threatening gunshot wound he suffered during the shooting on Hennepin Avenue, police said. 

As of 7 a.m., there was still a large police presence in the area and a group of people, who said they're related to the victim, was gathered at the scene.  

What we don't know:

Police are working to figure out what led up to the shooting. It's unknown if the shooting on Hennepin Avenue is related to two deadly shootings on Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening.  

3 fatal Minneapolis shootings in span of 13 hours

Dig deeper:

Two people were killed in separate shootings in Minneapolis on Tuesday. 

In a shooting around 8 p.m. Tuesday near 27th Street and 3rd Avenue South, one man was killed and a man was injured, police said. When police arrived at the scene, they found a man in his 20s with gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he died. Police believe he was outside when shots were fired.

Police said at about 8:17 p.m., a man in his 20s was dropped off at Abbott Northwestern Hospital with apparent non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Police believe he was injured in the shooting on 3rd Avenue South. 

Tuesday night's shooting happened about a mile from a mass shooting that left one person dead and six others injured Tuesday afternoon. 

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara on Tuesday said officers responded to a shotspotter activation just before 1:30 p.m. on the 2900 block of Clinton Avenue. The activation indicated as many as 30 shots had been fired. O'Hara says the gunman had a high-velocity .223 rifle.

When officers arrived, they found two of the seven victims at the scene. A man was killed, and another was wounded. Five other victims, four men and one woman, were located with gunshot wounds in the area. 

No arrests have been made in the three shootings. 

What they're saying:

Police are investigating whether the three fatal shootings are related.

"The level of gun violence across the city within the last day is deeply unsettling. Across three separate multiple-victim shootings, eight people have been injured by gunfire and three have lost their lives,"O'Hara said in a statement early Wednesday. 

O'Hara added, "Our thoughts are with the victims who lost their lives, with those who are now fighting to recover from their injuries, and with the families and community members who are affected. While this level of violence is cause for concern, our resolve to fight for the safety of every person in our community is unwavering. We will aggressively pursue every lead, but we also need the community’s help. Anyone with information about what happened is encouraged to come forward — anonymously if necessary — so we can hold those responsible accountable and prevent further harm."