3 People Killed in Minneapolis Homeless Encampment Shootings

Three people were killed over the weekend after two shootings at homeless encampments in Minneapolis, according to local police.
Local authorities are now investigating whether the fatal incidents, which occurred at different locations but within a span of 24 hours, might be interconnected.
The first shooting took place Saturday afternoon at a south Minneapolis encampment, where police discovered three men suffering from gunshot wounds. While two of the men are expected to recover, a third—a 31-year-old—succumbed to his injuries and died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
On Sunday, law enforcement was called to a different small tent encampment near local railroad tracks, where they encountered another shooting incident. Two men were found with fatal gunshot wounds, and a woman at the scene was taken to the hospital with injuries. Police have not disclosed her current condition.
Investigators said they have not ruled out the possibility that the shootings are connected.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara issued a statement highlighting the challenges faced within the city’s encampments, which are often plagued by drug use and mental health crises.
“The cold-blooded killing of three people inside the tent of an encampment is outrageous,” O’Hara declared. “All human life matters and encampments are not safe. MPD continues to address crime related issues associated with homeless encampments and the city continues to offer resources.”.
As of Sunday evening, authorities had not identified any suspects, and the investigation remains active.
Other Homeless Shootings
This is not the first time there have been shootings at homeless encampments. In 2022, a string of targeted shootings injured three and killed two homeless men in New York City and Washington D.C. In the same year, the bodies of two unhoused women were found weeks apart on the same hiking trail in Sarasota, Florida, and a woman named Chelsea Nicole Whitehead was also fatally shot near her encampment in New Orleans.
“People should be housed,” Nan Roman, chief executive officer of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said at the time. “If they are housed, they will not be subjected to violence in the same way. The fact is, people who are living on the street or even in shelters are very vulnerable.”
“It is not too complicated,” she added. “The reason you and I are not getting shot is probably because we are inside.”
More recently, a man was sentenced earlier this month to three years in jail after an incident in June in which prosecutors said he shot a homeless man in Spokane, Washington.
Hoyt Webb was accused of shooting 47-year-old Thomas Hatch, who was experiencing homelessness, on June 7 in an incident that was streamed on his YouTube channel. Webb has been sentenced to 39 months in jail, according to local news outlet Fox 28.
After the shooting, Hatch was left with life-threatening injuries, including losing one kidney, half of his bowels and damage to a coronary artery.
Webb, 36, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was allegedly walking in downtown Spokane when he shot Hatch. He initially filed a claim of self-defense but later pleaded guilty to the class-B felony charge of second-degree assault, according to court documents obtained by Fox 28.
In addition to his three-year and three-month jail sentence, Webb has also been ordered to serve 18 months of community custody and is subject to a 10-year no-contact order with the victim, the outlet reported.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.