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Gunman Opens Fire At City Council Meeting In Minnesota

Updated at 3:28 p.m. ET

The son of the man who reportedly shot and wounded two policeman said his father, 68-year-old Raymond K. Kmetz, had a history of making threats. Nathan Kmetz said he would provide additional information about his father later on Tuesday.

The Star Tribune newspaper reported that New Hope police officers used a Taser on the elder Kmetz in 2009 when he resisted arrest. Court records indicate that authorities had known Kmetz "for making felony terroristic threats [and having] a history of threats of violence."

The original post continues below:

A gunman walked into a New Hope City Council meeting near Minneapolis and opened fire on Monday.

Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Nelson tells our Newscast unit that the gunman was killed and two police officers were injured.

Tim filed this report:

"The city is a second-ring suburb northwest of Minneapolis.

"Authorities said the shooting happened shortly after two new officers were sworn in to the city's police force. Police returned fire, but two officers were shot during the exchange. They were taken to a nearby hospital and expected to survive.

"The lone gunman was killed. It's the third fatal shooting incident involving Twin Cities police this month."

The Minnesota Star-Tribune posted video of the incident. On the video, a council member is heard swearing after shots ring out and then someone else is heard yelling, "Get down, get down, everybody get down."

The Star-Tribune adds:

"New Hope City Council Member John Elder, a former police officer and currently a public information officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, appears in the video, behind the council desk with his gun drawn and pointed toward the door to the chambers. The audio on the video then goes silent.

"Elder and others were eventually escorted to safety nearby.

"Carlson said authorities are not looking for any other suspects. The gunman's identity will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office."

WCCO-TV reports the officers are in good condition and expected to recover.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta
Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.