An 18-year-old man was struck by gunfire early Sunday near Minneapolis's Stone Arch Bridge, arriving at a hospital with a non-life-threatening wound after a friend drove him there. He told police he heard shots, ran from the area, and never saw who fired. No arrests have been announced, and police have not shared what may have led to the shooting.
According to FOX 9, Minneapolis police officers responded to two separate reports of gunfire early Sunday morning, one near the 500 block of Main Street SE and another near 6th Avenue and 2nd Street SE. Investigators later determined both reports described the same incident. The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating, and the station's report does not indicate what precipitated the gunfire.
The shooting happened just around the corner from the Stone Arch Bridge, in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. The area is defined by historic brick pavement and riverfront access, and St. Anthony Main is considered the oldest settled part of Minneapolis, sitting directly across the Mississippi River from downtown, per the City of Minneapolis.
A Chaotic Night Before the Shots Rang Out
Hours before the shooting, an estimated 500 electric scooter and e-bike riders swarmed downtown Minneapolis in an unsanctioned gathering that organizers had originally expected to draw only about 20 people. As reported by CBS News, some riders entered Interstate 35W near 4th Street SE at roughly 10:40 p.m. Police have not formally linked the so-called scooter takeover to the shooting near the bridge.
This is not the first time the riverfront corridor near the Stone Arch Bridge has seen late-night gunfire during summer months. In September 2025, an early-morning shooting directly on the bridge injured a 19-year-old man and a woman in her 20s, leading to the arrest of a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy after responding officers heard gunfire around 2:20 a.m., CBS News reported at the time. A month before that, in August 2025, another overnight shooting near the bridge left two women injured and prompted a joint response from Minneapolis Police and Park Police, according to the same outlet.
City Crackdowns and a Historic Landmark
To manage disruptive late-night crowds, illegal fireworks, and vehicle traffic along the corridor, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board enforces annual Fourth of July closures on Main Street SE from Hennepin Avenue to 6th Avenue SE, shutting the Stone Arch Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists entirely, MPR News has reported. Those restrictions followed years of severe disruptions and violent incidents during past summer holidays.
The 140-year-old Stone Arch Bridge reopened to pedestrians in July 2025, ahead of schedule, following a $38.5 million restoration project by the Minnesota Department of Transportation that repaired stone masonry and repointed mortar across the structure. Built in 1883 as a railroad bridge by James J. Hill, the span was converted to a pedestrian and bicycle trail in 1992 and now draws more than 3 million visitors annually, per the State of Minnesota.
Citywide Crime Trends Amid Local Concerns
The shooting comes even as Minneapolis has posted multi-year declines in violent crime. The city recorded 64 homicides in 2025, down from 77 in 2024, with total gunshot wound victims falling 18% year-over-year, according to FOX 9, which reported that Police Chief Brian O'Hara said street crime had reached its lowest levels since violence peaked in 2021. Mid-year data released in July 2026 showed violent crime and homicide rates in Minneapolis continued trending downward during the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2025, per a Council on Criminal Justice study covering 36 major U.S. cities reported by KARE 11.
Even so, incidents like the one near the Stone Arch Bridge underscore the ongoing challenge of policing a heavily visited landmark that draws large late-night crowds. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.66, recklessly discharging a firearm within a municipality is a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine, with penalties rising to five years if the discharge occurs in a designated park zone, according to FindLaw.
Redevelopment Continues Along Main Street SE
The shooting also lands amid a wave of investment along the same corridor. Developers Lupe Development Partners and Wall Companies have proposed a five-story, 104-unit affordable senior housing building to replace a surface parking lot at 600 Main Street SE, a short distance from the bridge, as Hoodline previously reported. That plan requires a Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan amendment to shift the land's designation from park to urban neighborhood guidance.
For now, the Minneapolis Police Department's investigation into the shooting remains open, with no arrests announced and no confirmed motive. The 18-year-old victim's wound was described as non-life-threatening, but the case adds to a string of unresolved late-night shootings that have periodically disrupted one of the city's most visited public landmarks.
