Minneapolis shootings: 3 people killed, 8 hurt in shootings hours apart

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Three people were killed in three shootings in Minneapolis in about 13 hours, including a fatal incident in downtown Minneapolis early Wednesday morning.

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," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in a statement early Wednesday. 

1 killed in downtown Minneapolis 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., 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.  

Minneapolis shooting Tuesday night leaves 1 dead

What we know:

One person was killed and one person was "likely" injured in a shooting that happened in the Whittier neighborhood, near 27th Street and 3rd Avenue South, around 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, police said. 

The shooting happened outside an apartment building just west of Interstate 35W. 

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. 

What we don't know:

The Minneapolis Police Department is working to determine what led to the shooting. They say they do not know if it's related to the mass shooting Tuesday afternoon on Clinton Avenue. 

No arrests have been made. 

Mass shooting in Minneapolis leaves 1 dead, 6 injured

Local perspective:

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 are still looking for a suspect in the incident.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara 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. Three of those victims were considered critically injured, but all are expected to survive. 

The shooting scene is across the street from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, which was in session at the time.

"Earlier this afternoon, our city experienced a deeply troubling act of violence," O'Hara said. "This level of firepower unleashed in broad daylight is completely sickening and unacceptable."

No arrests have been made in the three shootings.