Twin Cities News
2 shot in head, 5 others injured at Minneapolis homeless encampment
minnesota
By Nick Lentz, Jason Rantala, Aki Nace, Beret Leone, Anthony Bettin
Updated on: September 17, 2025 / 8:01 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota
Seven people were shot at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis' Longfellow neighborhood Monday night, police said.
According to the city's incidents dashboard, over 20 police units responded to the 2700 block of East Lake Street just after 10 p.m. It was the second mass shooting of the day on East Lake Street.
"The people of Minneapolis deserve peace and safety. All residents of the city deserve that on their streets and in their neighborhoods and in their homes," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said. "I know it's been a lot of violence lately and we just want our community to know that we are not going to give up and that we will continue to fight so that every person in this city can be safe."
O'Hara said three of the seven shot have life-threatening injuries. A man and a woman in separate tents were shot in the head, and another man was shot in the stomach. Originally, police reported there were eight people injured, but O'Hara revised the number on Tuesday afternoon.
An off-duty officer at a nearby Target store saw multiple people running for help and heard gunfire, O'Hara said.
A Hennepin County judge delayed a decision regarding a temporary restraining order against the owner of the parking lot where the encampment sits until Monday, under the condition that the owner doesn't allow the camp to come back.
Jeremiah Boblett is a neighbor who says he heard the shots on Monday. He's concerned for the safety of his children and the kids who go to school next door.
"The drugs and the gangs and everything that's associated with this, it's a tragedy what's happened here and it's been allowed to go on for so long. It should have been stopped a long time ago before affecting these children in the school here," Boblett said.
Mayor Jacob Frey said the city has been trying to clear this encampment out for months and has been met with resistance. He said the city has issued owner Hamoudi Sabri nearly a dozen public health notices for drug paraphernalia, open fire, excessive debris and lack of sanitation.
"If [Sabri] wants to sue us, he can. If he wants to take this up in court, that is certainly his prerogative. But this is not safe," Frey said. "This is a danger to the community and it's being shut down right now."
Frey said late Tuesday morning that police had finished investigating the scene, and the city will be closing the encampment on the landlord's private property.
"I did not create this crisis. I responded to it — by opening my property to people with nowhere else to go and by inviting the City to collaborate on real solutions. That invitation still stands," said Sabri in a statement released Wednesday. "Every victim deserves equal care. Every neighborhood deserves dignity. Until Minneapolis rejects displacement and embraces care, we will keep reliving the same tragedies."
Over the phone, Sabri told WCCO if there are no other places for people to go that he would offer up his property again as an encampment space.
"The only reason people live in encampments is because there is no available, safe, stable, low-barrier shelter. No Navigation Centers. No emergency hotel beds. No plan. Nothing," Sabri said.
Frey said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that the city is working to obtain a temporary restraining order from a judge to secure the property. In total, Sabri could be fined "north of $50,000," according to city estimates.
Five men were injured in a mass shooting on Monday morning in the area of East Lake Street and Stevens Avenue, police said. One man was found with life-threatening injuries, while three others suffered survivable injuries. A fifth victim, who is said to have been grazed by a bullet, was found some time later near East Lake Street and First Avenue South. Police said he refused medical treatment.
O'Hara said investigators cannot rule out a connection between the two shootings at the encampments. Both incidents are believed to have been perpetrated by more than one shooter. The first shooting is believed to be a "quarrel" that "escalated to gunfire," while the second, he said, is related to a narcotics dispute.
O'Hara added that the corridor has seen several other incidents in recent weeks — including two prior shootings and a number of robberies — and calls to 911 have been steadily increasing since the encampment opened.
An employee who works at the school near the encampment tells WCCO that it has been a concern for students, teachers and parents for a year. Staff have been collecting dirty needles and other drug paraphernalia in and around the school's playground.
Neighbor Juan Guiman says he's feared for the safety of his teenage children all summer.
"I see a lot of things going on here. Every day since I'm back home with work and I see a lot of things," said Guiman. "Drug deals, lots of people just pretend to do something else but do drugs."
According to the city, the latest estimate suggested there were 70 to 75 people living on the property. After the shooting Monday night, the number hovered around 30 people. Regulatory Services Director Enrique Velazquez said all but one person denied offers for shelter.
Since being cleared, the encampment has moved a block away.
