A man is killed in a shooting in Minneapolis this afternoon

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is investigating a shooting that left a man dead in Minneapolis on Thursday.

What we know

Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 4200 block of Penn Avenue North just before 4:20 p.m

Minneapolis police said they then found a man with fatal gunshot wounds in an alley between Penn Avenue North and Queen Avenue North.

This man reportedly died at the scene.

Investigators believe that “trafficking in illegal narcotics may have played a role” in the fatal shooting.

MPD adds that two men fled the scene after “an altercation near the road escalated to gunfire.”

The man who was shot then ran west before collapsing in the alley, police said.

What they say

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara released a statement saying, “Shooting in the middle of an afternoon neighborhood is frustrating and unacceptable. This senseless violence is tragic and unfortunate, but I am confident our investigators will work hard to find out what happened and arrest those responsible.”

A witness at Scone told a FOX 9 reporter, “I was outside, heard two gunshots, came out and saw people down there running in different directions.”

Another witness said, “I was sitting on my back porch and heard two shotgun shots, and then after that you heard a lot of 9-millimeter shots.”

What we don’t know

No arrests had been announced as of Thursday evening and the Hennepin County coroner is expected to release the victim’s name at a later date.