A man in his 40s was shot outside a Minneapolis funeral chapel Friday afternoon while mourners gathered inside for a service, and police say he appears to have simply been standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Officers responded to the 2200 block of Plymouth Avenue North around 12:47 p.m. after reports of gunfire outside Estes Funeral Chapel, finding evidence of shots fired and a crowd that had come together for a funeral.
The man's gunshot wound was described as not life-threatening, and he was taken to a hospital, according to CBS News. Investigators said the victim appears to have been a bystander, and that an altercation in the chapel parking lot led to him being shot. Police have not detailed who was involved in that altercation or what sparked it.
Vehicle Stopped Downtown as Investigation Unfolds
Police stopped a vehicle reportedly leaving the scene near 10th Street and Third Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis, the same report noted. As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been made, and investigators said they were still working to establish the sequence of events that led to the shooting.
Estes Funeral Chapel sits in Minneapolis's Willard-Hay neighborhood, roughly a mile east of Theodore Wirth Golf Course. The chapel has been the site of gun violence before: in a separate, earlier incident, two men — ages 41 and 40 — were wounded by gunfire there, the station's report on that case detailed. Witnesses in that case said the shooter fled in a white Lincoln Navigator that officers later stopped, arresting both occupants.
A Pattern of Post-Funeral Violence
Friday's shooting is not the only instance of violence erupting around a Minneapolis funeral gathering. In another case, two people were shot at a gathering after a funeral when, according to FOX 9, a man arrived late to the repast and got into a verbal altercation that escalated into gunfire.
The shooting comes even as Minneapolis has otherwise seen a drop in gun violence this year. The city logged 27% fewer homicides through September 2026 compared with the same period the year before, and the number of gunshot victims citywide fell about 22% from the previous year, according to the Star Tribune.
Near North Still Carries a Heavy Toll
Despite the citywide decline, the Near North area has recorded 19 shooting victims this year, the highest total of any Minneapolis neighborhood, per the same Star Tribune analysis. The Fourth Precinct, which covers north Minneapolis and includes the area around Estes Funeral Chapel, still saw a reduction in shooting victims compared with the prior year, even as it remains one of the city's most affected areas.
No further details on the condition of the man wounded Friday, the identity of the vehicle's occupants, or any possible charges have been released. Police continue to investigate the shooting outside Estes Funeral Chapel as they work to piece together what happened in the parking lot before the gunfire began.
