A shooting shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday at an apartment building near 30th Avenue South and American Boulevard sent one person to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower body, and police detained multiple people at the scene as they worked to piece together what happened. Bloomington police said the wound is non-life-threatening and that there is no danger to the public.
Officers responded to a report of multiple shots fired near the apartment complex, which sits just blocks from Mall of America, according to FOX 9. The station reported that its crews were on scene as police worked to contain the area, and that the person who was shot was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. Police have not yet determined what led up to the shooting.
A Fast-Growing Corridor Near the Blue Line
The City of Bloomington's South Loop District is a 2,350-acre stretch the city has designated for turning older suburban commercial land into dense, transit-oriented housing, according to a planning document from the City of Bloomington. The report notes that the district weaves together apartment complexes, light rail stops and protected land along the Minnesota River Valley. The Metro Transit Blue Line connects the airport, downtown Minneapolis and Mall of America.
That stretch of 30th Avenue South has filled in quickly with large residential developments in recent years, including the 402-unit Fenley Apartments, which opened in 2020, and the 405-unit Carbon 31 complex at 8100 31st Avenue South, part of a 50-acre master plan detailed by McGough Construction. Together, the projects represent large-scale residential development in blocks that once looked far more suburban. CODAworx also lists a public-art project called the WE Mural.
A Department Stretched Across a Swelling Daytime Population
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges has led the department since April 2022, overseeing a force of just under 200 officers that fields more than 70,000 calls for service a year, according to Police1. While Bloomington's residential population is roughly 90,000, the outlet notes that shoppers and commuters push the daytime population past 250,000 — a swing driven largely by Mall of America and the airport. The department's work comes amid broader discussion of city crime.
Statewide and regional crime trends provide broader context.
Same-Day Charges Tied to Mall of America Gun Incident
The apartment shooting came the same day Hennepin County prosecutors formally charged three Twin Cities men with felony second-degree riot after guns were drawn during a September 4 altercation inside the Macy's at Mall of America, KARE 11 reported. KARE 11 reported that all three men held valid concealed carry permits, and the case was covered by Hoodline.
The Mall of America area has seen gun violence before. In December 2022, a 19-year-old was fatally shot inside a Nordstrom during a clash between two groups, an incident that prompted heightened security and weapons-detection technology around the mall complex.
Bloomington police have not determined what led up to Wednesday's apartment shooting. It is also unresolved how many people in total were taken into custody, beyond the department's confirmation that multiple people were detained.
