A violent shooter opened fire inside a downtown Minneapolis high-rise apartment building Wednesday afternoon, killing two people and wounding at least six others including two police officers who were shot while responding to the active threat.

Chaos Inside Downtown High-Rise

Minneapolis police responded to reports of gunfire at 15 E. Grant St. around 4:36 p.m., but the situation rapidly escalated as multiple callers reported hearing additional shots. Officers entered the building and encountered victims in the lobby while gunfire continued on upper floors. When officers followed the sounds upward, they discovered a mysterious haze limiting visibility throughout the hallways. The suspect exchanged gunfire with responding officers before dying, though authorities have not clarified whether police bullets or self-inflicted wounds caused the death.

Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson confirmed authorities were already familiar with the suspected shooter, though he declined to release the person’s name Wednesday evening. He condemned what he called the cowardly acts of a violent individual. One victim died at the scene while another succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Five others sustained gunshot wounds requiring hospitalization.

Officers Shot While Saving Lives

Two Minneapolis police officers suffered gunshot wounds during the response. One officer was struck in the leg while another took two bullets to the abdomen. A third officer sustained injuries not related to gunfire. All three remain in stable condition at Hennepin County Medical Center. Mayor Jacob Frey praised the officers for their heroic actions, stating they helped evacuate residents and transport victims to hospitals while under active fire. He emphasized that without their brave intervention, the death toll would have climbed significantly higher.

Residents Recognized Armed Suspect

Multiple residents told investigators they recognized the shooter as someone who regularly displayed a handgun in the building. Julius Bailey witnessed a man he knew as a fellow resident holding a pistol outside the apartment complex. He heard a woman screaming and immediately fled, counting eight shots as he ran. Chris Miller, another resident, reported encountering someone with a handgun in the hallway earlier that week and had notified building management. Witnesses described seeing multiple injured people lying in the lobby as police cleared the building floor by floor. One resident counted approximately 25 to 30 total shots after officers entered the high-rise.