MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Three Bystanders Wounded in Columbia Heights Parking-Lot Shootout; Second Suspected Shooter Sought

Police say two men exchanged gunfire outside a Central Avenue restaurant early Saturday, striking three people who were not involved in the confrontation

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN (September 6, 2026). Three men who police say were innocent bystanders were wounded early Saturday after two people exchanged gunfire outside a Columbia Heights restaurant, leaving one suspected shooter in custody while authorities searched for another.

The shooting happened at approximately 1 a.m. Saturday outside Hook Fish and Chicken near 39th Avenue and Central Avenue NE.

Columbia Heights police responding to reports of gunfire found three men who had been struck.

Authorities said the three wounded men were not participants in the confrontation that produced the gunfire.

The victims were taken for medical treatment. Their injuries were initially reported as non-life-threatening.

Investigators say two men exchanged gunfire in the restaurant parking lot.

One suspected shooter was taken into custody, while police continued searching for the second suspected shooter Saturday.

Authorities had not publicly identified either suspected shooter or the three wounded men as of the latest information available to MinneapoliMedia.

Police also had not publicly disclosed what prompted the confrontation.

A Shooting Along a Major Columbia Heights Corridor

The location makes the incident particularly concerning for Columbia Heights residents.

Central Avenue is one of the city's principal commercial corridors, lined with restaurants, businesses and other destinations used by residents of Columbia Heights and surrounding North Metro communities.

In this case, police say the people wounded were not the people exchanging gunfire.

That means three people were injured simply because they were in the vicinity when a confrontation escalated into a shootout.

The investigation now has two immediate priorities: determining exactly what triggered the gunfire and locating the second suspected shooter.

WHAT RESIDENTS SHOULD KNOW

Police had not announced that there was an ongoing general threat to residents beyond their search for the remaining person suspected of firing a weapon.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting, recorded video near the restaurant or surrounding Central Avenue corridor, or has information about the second suspected shooter should contact law enforcement rather than attempting to approach the person.

Residents and businesses with exterior surveillance cameras near the area should preserve footage from around the time of the shooting in case investigators determine that it is relevant.

MinneapoliMedia will continue monitoring the investigation, including the condition of the three wounded men and whether police announce another arrest.

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