Overview
- Police responded just before 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, to Hartkopf Park and found a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head who later died despite lifesaving aid.
- Detectives quickly identified a 17-year-old suspect who was arrested and booked at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on probable cause second-degree murder, with names withheld by authorities.
- Officers recovered a gun at the scene of the suspect’s later stop and forensic testing has been reported to link that weapon to the shooting.
- Charging documents allege about 50 people were at the park, five shell casings were found near a jungle gym, several witnesses named the 17-year-old as the shooter and court papers say the teen had messages on his phone after the shooting.
- The investigation remains active as detectives collect evidence and interview witnesses and prosecutors say the current juvenile petition could be amended to add homicide charges, a step that would affect how the case proceeds and local calls for park safety.