Last Thursday marked one year since the tragic mass shooting. The bells at Annunciation rang at 8:26 a.m., and the community gathered in remembrance of this moment – the lives deeply impacted and the losses of Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski. An act of unspeakable violence took their lives and injured 29 others, but that is not the story of Annunciation or our community.
The story of Annunciation is one of resilience and courage – of students who bravely returned to school after serious injury and trauma; of educators and clergy who carried on despite unimaginable loss. The story of our community is one of compassion and generosity – of praying and moving our feet, tying thousands of blue and green bows around trees in a show of support, and walking alongside others on the path toward healing. Over the past year, we’ve honored the lives of Harper and Fletcher and all the families of Annunciation with the story we’ve written together in the wake of a terrible tragedy.
I had the honor of dedicating Fletcher’s bench around Grass Lake a couple of weeks ago, and here is a short excerpt from that:
The plaque on the bench says “For the boy who proved there are fish in Grass Lake”. That is the story that stuck with me the most when a small group of us walked around Grass Lake last November looking for the perfect place for the bench. Mollie (his mother) talked about Fletcher’s love of the lake and all things around it. When he was told there weren’t any fish in Grass Lake, he didn’t believe it. He persevered with the faith of a child and the determination of a giant and caught his fish. And it is my hope that his legacy of faith and perseverance is what will live on in each of us.
…[Let us] be filled with his love of life, his sense of adventure, and his quest to always learn something new. It would be easy- for many of us who didn’t get to know him personally- to focus on the tragedy of his death, but my wish for all of us is that we focus on the way Fletcher lived life- with no abandon- and that we carry that with us in the way we live our lives…Let us all believe, like Fletcher, that there is always a fish to be caught somewhere and that our next big adventure in life is finding out where that is.
I’ve also been to and admired the salt sprinkled on Harper’s bench by those who loved her, which is at the Rose Garden. Please take a moment to remember their light and honor the love that buoys us through tragedy.
Three people are dead and several others injured after a shooting yesterday in the Loring Park area of Minneapolis.
One civilian who was shot died at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and another civilian who was shot died at the scene.
Three Minneapolis police officers were injured in the shooting. Two are at HCMC. One is undergoing surgery.
Four additional officers experienced adverse effects after being exposed to an unknown airborne substance. Two officers were hurt when their squad car was involved in a crash while responding to the scene.
Three other civilians were shot and are also being treated at HCMC.
The suspected shooter died at the scene. It is unknown how the suspected shooter died. MPD is not naming him at this point.
“As officers quickly moved from unit to unit to assist anyone who needed help, I can’t emphasize enough how dangerous this situation was and how heroic our officers were in response,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “They rescued victims, brought people to safety, helped get approximately four people to the hospital, all while getting shot at themselves. We’re all standing with the victims and families impacted by this senseless act.”
Incident Background
Around 4:30 p.m. yesterday, officers responded to reports of shots fired at an apartment building near 15 E. Grant St. When they arrived, officers encountered multiple victims in the lobby and heard more gunfire. MPD and other officers traced additional activity to an upper floor of the apartment building. While there, officers encountered a haze.
Law enforcement agencies from multiple cities responded to the scene, including the Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County’s Sheriff’s Office, The Minneapolis Park Police, St Paul Police Department, University of Minnesota Police Department, Maple Grove Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Edina Police Department, and the Brooklyn Park Police Department. They assisted with 911 response and other activity around the city as needed. The FBI also assisted at the scene.
“This is a tremendously tragic event,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson. “The lives of residents, our community, our officers and other first responders have been significantly impacted. I am thankful to all of our law enforcement partners and want to give a special thanks to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) for its prompt and professional investigative response at this massive crime scene.”
Reunification Location
Central Lutheran Church at 333 S. 12th St. is hosting a space for reunification efforts for the apartment residents and others affected by the shooting. The American Red Cross is also setting up a shelter near the scene. The Salvation Army is also providing food.
Community Listening Session Facilitated by Council Members Palmisano, Whiting, Chughtai, and Shaffer
Monday, September 14 | 7:00-8:30 PM Mt. Olivet Church Sanctuary - 5025 Knox Ave. S.
Meeting locations were chosen across Minneapolis to make it easier for people to attend a session near them. You are welcome to attend any meeting and share your input. See all meeting dates here.
After more than 50 years of running his business, Jim Cone’s Linden Hills storefront of Coffee and Tea Ltd closed on August 31. Many of you in Linden Hills and beyond have, like me, enjoyed coffee from owner Jim Cone for decades. I had a chance to stop in and visit with him one more time. He said his hope is to still sell online as they have been roasting offsite.
Jim has been a mainstay and will be remembered as someone who greeted every customer warmly, loved all dogs and spent incredible amounts of his means with his dog rescues and those organizations, and always donated coffee generously to community efforts, often lugging heavy Cambros of brew himself in his van whenever requested.
The Fulton Fall Festival is a free, all-ages community celebration, bringing together neighbors, families, local businesses, and visitors from across southwest Minneapolis.
This year’s festival will fill the park with a Kids’ Zone featuring giant bubble performances, face painting, inflatables, and lawn games; the annual neighborhood Bike Parade; interactive robot demonstrations by Southwest Ultraviolet Robotics; pickleball and bingo; live music on the Showmobile stage; local food trucks; and a marketplace featuring approximately 35 local vendors, businesses, and neighborhood organizations.
Fulton Fall Festival Saturday, September 12 | 11 AM-3 PM Pershing Park - 3523 West 48th Street, Minneapolis
One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet with my constituents, learn more about you and hear your questions, concerns, hopes and dreams for our shared community.
If you'd like to schedule a time to meet with me, send me an e-mailand my staff will help get it scheduled. Please let me know what you'd like to talk about and a convenient place to meet—a coffee shop, a park, your home, my office, etc. I try to reserve Fridays for constituent meetings, but can work them in other times, as necessary, too.
City Hall 350 S. Fifth St., Room 370 Minneapolis, MN 55415
For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users call 612-263-6850. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311.
