Friends and family members have identified the man fatally shot outside a Jordan neighborhood school on Tuesday afternoon as police continue to search for his killer.
Aaron Williams, 22, briefly interacted with the suspect moments before he was shot, according to court filings and witnesses. Williams was taken to North Memorial Medical Center, where he died. No arrests have been announced.
The Hennepin County medical examiner said an autopsy has been conducted, but the results hadn't been released as of Wednesday afternoon.
Williams' death, the city's 11th slaying of 2017, comes as Minneapolis contends with a jump in violent and property crimes compared to this time last year, even as the number of gunshot victims has dipped.
Williams' shooting Tuesday at the corner of 30th and Irving avenues N. — a few hundred feet north of the Hmong International Academy — was witnessed by several bystanders.
Witnesses told police that a man had hopped out of a "white truck" — identified as a Jeep in scanner reports — and got into the passenger seat of the van that Williams was in. Moments later, a gunshot rang out. The suspect was seen running back to the truck and tossing his gun inside, before returning to the van.
When he couldn't get the door open, he got back into the truck and fled the scene, heading westbound on 30th Avenue. Another man was driving the truck, according to police.
Homicide detectives obtained a search warrant for two cellphones found at the scene for evidence that they hope will lead to an arrest.
Friends and relatives mourned Williams' death on social media on Wednesday. A photo circulating on Facebook showed him smiling broadly while hanging out with friends.
Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter:@StribJany
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