Marvin Ray McCowen, a 42-year-old male from Minneapolis, was fatally shot in the early morning darkness of April 2, 2026, in north Minneapolis. Police were called to the area of 31st Avenue North and 4th Street North shortly after 1:15 a.m., after a 911 caller reported hearing a single gunshot and then a person calling out for help. When officers arrived, they found McCowen down in the street with a serious gunshot wound.
Officers began giving him medical aid at the scene before he was
taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center. Despite those efforts, McCowen died at the hospital. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified him and classified his death as a homicide. One report listed his cause of death as a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The shooting happened on a residential stretch of the Hawthorne neighborhood, near Lowry Avenue North and Interstate 94. The details released publicly suggest a sudden and isolated burst of violence: one reported gunshot, one wounded man found in the street, and no other victims reported at the scene. Police secured the area and began investigating what led up to the shooting, while community members were left with the unsettling image of a man mortally wounded before dawn on a neighborhood street.
Authorities have not publicly announced any arrests in McCowen’s killing. No suspect or suspects have been named in the available reports, and police have not released a clear motive. Investigators described the case as active and said they were still working to determine the circumstances that led to the shooting. Police also stated that a separate nearby north Minneapolis incident involving a car theft, gunfire, a pursuit, and a crash did not appear to be connected to McCowen’s death.
As of the available public reporting, the case remains unresolved. Minneapolis police asked anyone with information to contact investigators, including through police tips or Crime Stoppers, with the possibility of a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. McCowen’s death was counted among Minneapolis’ homicides for 2026, another early-morning shooting that left a family grieving and detectives searching for the person responsible.
