A 17-year-old boy was killed as he scrambled into a relative's house seeking safety when gunfire erupted late Tuesday afternoon on the North Side, witnesses said.

Police said a younger boy was also shot in the leg, but they said he is expected to survive the attack.

Authorities did not release the names of the victims, but relatives and neighbors identified the teen who died as Mario Langston, of Minneapolis. Langston was killed in retaliation for a confrontation earlier in the day, police said.

His killing is the city's 22nd homicide of the year, according to Minneapolis police spokesman Scott Seroka.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. in the 2300 block of Fremont Avenue N., Seroka said. Witnesses recalled seeing a group of young men dispersing moments after the gunfire ended.

Langston's aunt, who asked not to be identified, said that she was dozing when she heard gunshots and opened her back door, only to find her nephew's crumpled body.

Seroka said detectives were investigating leads based on information from the earlier altercation.

Several hours after the shooting, neighbors and relatives lined a fence behind the shooting scene and watched as police carted the body away. Detectives picked their way through the back-yard evidence, looking for shell casings, while a technician dusted a bicycle leaning against a nearby fence.

Javelle Gresham, Lang­ston's cousin, said the teenager had been heavily involved in sports, especially basketball and football.

"He was just a lively person," Gresham said.

Libor Jany • 651-925-5033