Four children, aged 11 to 14, were shot while driving a stolen car in Minneapolis, with one critically injured, according to police. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday in northwest Minneapolis when an unknown assailant opened fire on the vehicle they were in, resulting in a barrage of gunfire, said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
The shooting was detected by ShotSpotter technology, triggering multiple 911 calls. The victims included two boys and two girls, with an 11-year-old boy driving the stolen car. He was taken into custody but later released to his parents. One of the girls suffered a gunshot wound to the head and is in critical but stable condition at Hennepin Medical Center. The other three children were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims. “The fact that four kids between the ages of 11 and 14 were shot is outrageous. Everyone should be alarmed,” O’Hara stated, emphasizing the need for proactive measures rather than reactive ones.
The shooter, who was driving a dark-colored sedan, has not been apprehended or identified, and the motive behind the attack is still under investigation. Initial reports suggest that the gunman followed the stolen white Kia and fired at it with an automatic weapon. Police recovered at least 30 shell casings at the scene.
The 11-year-old driver, who was unharmed, was detained at the scene and later released. O’Hara revealed that two of the children had been arrested less than two weeks ago for being in a stolen vehicle.
“We are failing to deter this behavior and, consequently, failing these kids,” O’Hara remarked. He noted that while the overall number of stolen Kias and Hyundais had decreased over the past year, there has been a recent surge in such thefts this month.
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“What stands out is the increasing boldness of those involved in these crimes,” O’Hara said, citing a rise in aggravated assaults, robberies, and hit-and-runs connected to stolen vehicles. Sunday’s shooting, he noted, highlights the growing recklessness of the perpetrators. “They show a complete disregard for their own lives, let alone the lives of others,” O’Hara concluded.
