MINNEAPOLIS – Somebody shot and wounded a Minneapolis police officer early Saturday in what appears to have been a targeted attack, department officials said.
Two officers were standing by their marked squad car after having just finished handling a burglary call at about 5 a.m. when someone shot one of them, police spokesman John Elder said. The wounded officer's partner drove him to a hospital, where Elder said he was in "satisfactory but stable condition." He didn't go into further detail about the injuries.
Elder said they are investigating whether the burglary actually happened.
"We're looking to see if that is a setup for the shooting, or did this individual just drive around looking for a police officer of some sort," he said. "At this point we don't know."
Chief Janee Harteau met with the officer and his family at the hospital, the department said in a news release.
"There is little doubt that an officer was the intended target of this shooting and that this officer just happened to be the one who was there," she said in a statement. "This is a reminder to all that every one of our officers face such danger simply because they choose to wear a uniform."
Elder said the officer seemed to be targeted because he was an officer, but not because of his specific identity.
Police are searching the area but had not made any arrests.
In a news release, Mayor Betsy Hodges called the shooting a "cowardly act."
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
