In the a quiet neighborhood of North Minneapolis, the life of 22-year-old African-American male Cortney Basel Elvest Woods was tragically cut short on a November evening. On November 17, 2015, at approximately 5:30 p.m., police responded to reports of a shooting on the 3900 block of Emerson Avenue North. There, they found Woods critically injured from a gunshot wound to the head.
He was rushed to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he fought for his life for approximately 24 hours before succumbing to his injuries on November 18, 2015.
The Minneapolis Police Department opened an investigation into the death of Cortney Woods, but information regarding the circumstances of the shooting has been scarce. In the years since his death, there have been no public announcements regarding any arrests or the identification of any suspects in connection with the homicide. The case, like many others, has seemingly faded from the headlines, leaving a void of information and a family still seeking answers.
The lack of resolution in Cortney Woods' case underscores a challenging period for the city of Minneapolis, which saw a significant increase in homicides in 2015. While authorities have continued to work on cold cases from that era, sometimes finding success through advancements in technology, the investigation into who killed Cortney Woods remains without a public conclusion. His death is memorialized on the National Gun Violence Memorial website, a somber reminder of a young life lost and a case that, to date, remains unsolved.
