Two people have been killed and eight others injured, one critically, in a shooting outside a nightclub in downtown Minneapolis early on Saturday. Police said the incident began when two men in a crowd near the Monarch nightclub argued, then pulled out guns and opened fire.
According to police spokesperson John Elder, five men and five women were shot. Two men died at the scene, and another man is in hospital in a critical condition. The remaining seven victims sustained injuries not considered life-threatening.
The shooting was one of several in the city overnight. The Star Tribune reported that five people were shot in separate incidents, with one later dying. The latest deaths bring Minneapolis's homicide total to 31 for 2021.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the violence, stating, 'Last night again brought tragic news. Again, our collective conscience is shocked.' He called for a renewed commitment to preventative work and justice for perpetrators.
The incident occurs amid a nationwide surge in gun homicides during the pandemic, with a 30% increase in homicides across 34 US cities in 2020, according to a study by the Council on Criminal Justice. Mayor Frey faces ongoing pressure to reform the police department following the killing of George Floyd nearly a year ago.
