Leaders seek answers to downtown Minneapolis violence Many are calling for more police presence after gun violence left two dead, including an innocent bystander, in the downtown bar district. Author: John Croman Updated: 2:41 AM CDT May 25, 2021 MINNEAPOLIS — A hail of bullets in a part of downtown that attracts large crowds after dark. It's happened before, but this incident served as a wakeup call to the city leaders and those striving to bring people back into the heart of Minneapolis. Early Saturday morning, ten people shot, two fatally, including innocent bystander Charlie Johnson on the eve of his graduation from the University of St. Thomas. It began with what police reported as a shootout between two men who had been in a verbal altercation in a parking lot outside a bar.