Police have a suspect in custody in an early morning shooting at a Minneapolis nightclub that left two people dead and eight wounded.
KSTP reported that Jawan Contrail Carroll, 23, was arrested early Saturday afternoon in Bloomington and is being held without bail in the Hennepin County Jail. He has not been formally charged but is facing murder charges, according to jail records.
Minneapolis police said Carroll and another man were in a crowded area outside the Monarch dance club at about 2 a.m. and got into a verbal dispute. Both men opened fire on each other; the other gunman was one of two men killed in the shooting.
Police said both of the deceased victims were men. Three other men and five women were wounded. Police said one of the victims is in critical condition while the other seven are expected to survive, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Police said that the medical examiner will release the dead men’s identities and the cause and manner of death over the next few days.
Minneapolis Police spokesman John Elder told KARE 11 that officers were in the area when they heard gunshots.
“Officers ran toward the gunfire, at which time there were calls being dispatched of a shooting in that area,” Elder told the television station. “Officers observed numerous people running through the area. It was a very chaotic scene.”
Medics were having a difficult time getting to the scene because of the crowds of people, according to KARE 11. The incident prompted a massive law enforcement response from around the metro area.
Elsewhere in the city, five people were shot overnight, including one fatally. There have been 31 people murdered in Minneapolis so far this year.
Elder urged the public to “to put their guns down.”
“It’s the same thing we’ve said over and over again: bottom line is people need to put their guns down,” Elder said. “It’s as simple as that. There needs to be other ways to solve differences.”
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