MINNEAPOLIS — Two people were killed and another hurt after police said an altercation in Dinkytown escalated into a shooting.
According to a press release, Minneapolis officers went to 403 14th Avenue Southeast around 2:15 Sunday morning for a report of a shooting.
Officers said they found two men in their 20s with fatal gunshot wounds. Despite efforts to save their lives, police said both men died at the scene. On Monday, the victims were identified as Jamartre Sanders and Bryson Haskell, both of whom were 24 years old and residents of Minneapolis.
A third man, also in his 20s, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. He had at least one non-life-threatening gunshot wound, officials said. Police said the injured man was one of three employees working in the store when he was shot.
None of the three men are thought to be University of Minnesota students, police said.
Police said that their preliminary findings show that a fight between two groups of customers inside a store escalated into gunfire.
Sunday morning, crime tape was up around Royal Cigar and Tobacco. Adam Underwood, who works next door at Dinkytown Tattoo as an artist, said it was a weird feeling to walk into work.
"I'm a little spooked now," Underwood said, observing the broken glass outside of Royal Cigar and Tobacco. "I come in this morning and I walked into a crime scene. I'm thinking of contacting my coworkers and letting them know this is going on."
Underwood said he is rarely around the area in the evenings but he knows the area is popular.
"It's a party area on the weekends, and at night, you've got all these bars and a bunch of college students," he said.
Minneapolis police spokesperson Garrett Parten said part of the investigation still involves figuring out if they need to be looking for another person - a potential shooter.
"It appears that altercations are solved with guns and that's just absolutely unacceptable, and we have our investigators out to determine who was involved and what transpired," Parten said Sunday morning. "To make sure those who are responsible are caught and brought to justice."
Underwood said he's not sure how the crime would impact his customers at the tattoo co-op.
"If we were a mom-and-pop boutique shop maybe? Tattoos are kind of synonymous for being rough around the edges so I don't think it will cause problems for us," he said. "But I guess we'll find out."
Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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