Late-night gunfire on Lake Street West turned what should have been a routine stop at a Minneapolis business into a trip to the hospital for four teenagers Friday night, according to police. Officers say the group was leaving a business along the busy corridor when someone opened fire, injuring all four before the shooter took off.
Minneapolis police told KSTP they were called around 11:56 p.m. When officers arrived, they found a 16-year-old boy near the drive-thru of a Popeyes and two 17-year-olds in the entrance of a nearby building. A fourth 17-year-old later showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound. All four teens were treated for injuries described as non-life-threatening. Police say the person who fired fled before officers got there, and the shooting appears to have happened as the teens were heading out from the business.
Police response and city context
So far, no one is in custody. Investigators are asking anyone who saw what happened, or who has security or cellphone video, to contact the department and help fill in the blanks. The case lands in the middle of a messy stretch of high-profile incidents in Minneapolis, even as the city’s overall number of shooting victims actually dropped in 2025, according to a year-end review. FOX 9 reported on Chief Brian O’Hara’s summary of those numbers.
Lake Street corridor has been a flashpoint
Lake Street, a busy commercial corridor largely rebuilt by immigrant entrepreneurs after the unrest of 2020, has been carrying a heavy load lately. The area has seen multiple shootings and several mass-casualty incidents over the past year, leaving business owners and neighbors understandably on edge. The Star Tribune and other outlets have tracked a string of incidents along the corridor following the August attack at Annunciation Catholic School, which pushed city leaders to open resilience centers and ramp up outreach. Friday’s gunfire adds yet another late-night investigation for officers already working the corridor hard.
What’s next
The investigation remains active, and police have not released any description of a suspect. Minneapolis police told KSTP the case is open and that anyone with information should reach out to the department. Authorities say video, eyewitness accounts, or any small detail could help them follow up leads and eventually get the shooter into custody.
