In the early morning hours of July 7, 2019, the vibrant nightlife of downtown Minneapolis was shattered by gunfire. Joe Willie Ross Jr., a 24-year-old Black male from Shakopee, was fatally shot near the intersection of Washington and First avenues, an area typically bustling with people visiting its many restaurants and entertainment venues. Just before 2 a.m., officers responded to reports of the shooting.
A person at the scene flagged down a police sergeant and directed him to where Ross lay wounded in the roadway.
The sergeant administered CPR until emergency personnel arrived and transported Ross to Hennepin Healthcare. Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at approximately 2:40 a.m. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest and officially ruled the manner of death as a homicide. Investigators believe the shooting may have stemmed from a traffic dispute that escalated with tragic consequences.
In the wake of the shooting, the Minneapolis Police Department launched an investigation, interviewing several witnesses at the scene. However, no suspects were immediately identified, and no descriptions have been released to the public. To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the death of Joe Willie Ross Jr., and the case remains unsolved. His death was one of several violent incidents that plagued downtown Minneapolis that weekend, prompting public concern and calls from city leaders and business owners for an increased police presence to combat the rise in gun violence.
