Management at the Marshall apartments in Dinkytown is taking steps to improve safety after a 20-year-old man was shot outside the complex in the early hours of May 25.
Minneapolis police responded that day to a shooting that occurred at about 12:45 a.m. at the Marshall, according to a crime report.
Responders found a victim with a gunshot wound, Minneapolis Police Department spokesman Scott Seroka said.
The Marshall says it has added security guards on the premises and plans to hold a safety meeting because of the shooting. University of Minnesota officials say they didn’t issue a crime report because the incident posed no ongoing threat to students’ safety.
Minneapolis police have not identified a suspect. MPD spokesman John Elder said police believe the incident was isolated.
The victim and his assailant likely knew each other from a gathering in the apartment complex earlier that night, said University spokesman Tim Busse.
Sociology of law, criminology and deviance senior Libby Parker said she was across the street when the incident took place.
Parker said she first thought a few noises she heard were fireworks. When she heard screaming, she said, she immediately knew someone had been shot and ran across the street to help the victim.
“I held his head in my lap and told his friend to apply pressure to the wound,” Parker said. “We sat like this for five to 10 minutes until police arrived.”
Parker said the incident’s close proximity to campus made it “extremely upsetting” that the University didn’t choose to notify students.
In an emailed statement to its residents on May 26, the apartment’s management said the shooting did not involve its residents.
The statement also said legal action would be taken against the resident who brought the individuals inside the building, and it reminded residents that they are responsible for anyone they allow inside.
In a later emailed statement to tenants, The Marshall apologized for potentially giving the impression that residents were in charge of their own safety. The email also said apartment management had improved safety through measures like adding extra security guards.
Recent University mechanical engineering graduate Tom Zimmer, who lives on the third floor of the Marshall but wasn’t home during the shooting, said management could have handled the situation better.
“The people who were home were visibly shaken, and the others that weren’t had no idea what happened,” he said. “It’s very disappointing that the apartment waited so long to notify its residents.”
