On a summer evening in Minneapolis, a young Hispanic male's life was cut tragically short. Seventeen-year-old Mario Sanchez Mendieta was fatally shot on July 23, 2020, near the memorial for George Floyd. The incident unfolded outside a market located on the 3500 block of Chicago Avenue.
Earlier, Mario had an encounter with another male inside the market. After Mario left the establishment, the other individual followed him and shot him multiple times before fleeing the scene on foot.
When police officers arrived, they found the teenager without a pulse. They were able to revive him through CPR, but he succumbed to his injuries and died shortly after at a local hospital. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed that Mario Sanchez Mendieta's death was a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
In the wake of the shooting, investigators stated their belief that the victim and the assailant knew each other. However, authorities did not release any specific information about the suspect. As of the time of the reports, no arrests had been made in connection with the homicide, leaving a community to mourn and a family to seek justice.
The family of Mario Sanchez Mendieta expressed their grief and desire to honor his memory by creating a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses. Their wish was to return his body to Mexico, so he could be laid to rest near his grandfather and so that their family there could also say their final goodbyes. The shooting was one of several homicides that marked an increase in violent crime in Minneapolis that year.
