Minneapolis shooting kills two, wounds three police officers 

At least two people have been killed and several more wounded, including three police officers, after a gunman opened fire in the United States city of Minneapolis.

Garret Parten, a spokesman for the police, told reporters on Wednesday that the suspect has also died.

He said police responded to a call about a shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building just after 4:30pm local time (22:30 GMT). Officers found the victims minutes after entering the high-rise.

One person died at the scene, Parten said. Four people were taken to hospital, where one later died.

Also taken to hospital were three police officers, including two who were shot. All three are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center.

Parten said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died.

The police have no further details on the motive behind the shooting or the condition of those injured.

Video posted to social media showed police aiming weapons at an apartment building near the Minneapolis Convention Center.

In a series of posts on X, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz thanked emergency services and said state officials are on the ground helping local law enforcement respond to the shooting.

“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz said.

“Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”

Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Lisa Demuth said she is praying for the victims of “this heinous crime”.

The shooting in Minneapolis came on the same day that a shooting was reported at Westwood Hills Elementary School in the city of Waynesboro in the state of Virginia.

Authorities said a 19-year-old gunman forced his way into the elementary school on Wednesday morning and shot and wounded a staff member before killing himself.

The incidents follow mass shootings in the cities of Chicago, Illinois, and Trenton, New Jersey, on Sunday that left at least three people dead and 18 wounded, according to authorities.