by Anthony Gockowski
The victims in a Monday afternoon shooting in north Minneapolis had also worked for Republican Lacy Johnson’s congressional campaign, but the two facts are unrelated, the campaign told Alpha News.
According to a press release from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), officers responded to a shooting in the area of the 3800 block of Fremont Avenue North around 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon.
“Officers arrived and located two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the individuals did not have a pulse or respirations. Officers began CPR and wound management until relieved by paramedics. Other officers dealt with the other injured party and scene security,” the department said.
One of the victims, a 17-year-old male, was transported to North Memorial Hospital where he died a short time later. The second victim, an adult male in his late teens, was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center with non life-threatening wounds.
The victims were standing in front of a Super USA convenience store when the suspect (possibly suspects) approached on foot and shot at the group, fleeing the scene before officers arrived. Police had not made any arrests as of Tuesday evening.
A spokesperson for Johnson, who’s running against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, said the shooting did not occur during campaign activities and does not believe the incident has any connection to the victims’ work for the campaign.
“We can confirm that the victims of this senseless violence were young, motivated members of the Lacy Johnson campaign outreach team,” Johnson’s campaign said. “Today, we are shocked and saddened to learn of this senseless act of violence. It is shocking and unnecessary acts of violence like this that prove why change is more needed than ever in our community.”
The 17-year-old who died in the shooting was a senior at Patrick Henry High School, according to a statement posted on the school’s Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share that we have lost one of our 12th grade students, Andre Conley. Our thoughts are with this student’s family and loved ones during this difficult time, and out of respect for their privacy, we are not sharing any additional information,” the school said.
“We know this event affects our school community greatly. We all share in the grief and sense of loss, and we are working together to support the family, as well as our students and staff,” the statement added.
Conley’s death marked the 59th homicide in Minneapolis this year.
– – –
Photo “Police Tape” by Tony Webster. CC BY-SA 4.0.
