Minneapolis surpasses 2019 homicide total after 2 separate deadly shootings

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A pair of shootings that resulted in two deaths in Minneapolis early Tuesday accounted for the city's 48th and 49th homicides of the year, surpassing the number of murders reported in all of last year.

The first shooting occurred around 12:25 a.m. when troopers from the Minnesota State Patrol heard multiple gunshots in the area of 46th Street and Hiawatha Avene, said Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder.

The troopers stopped a speeding vehicle a few blocks away and found a female driver and a man suffering from a gunshot wound. The man was taken to a hospital, where he later died. The female was questioned and is not considered a suspect in the shooting, police said.

Hours later, just after 6:20 a.m., witnesses reported a man on the ground in the area of 100 block of 59th Street East.

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"Officers arrived in the area and located the victim, an adult male, obviously deceased," Elder said in a statement. "It appeared he had suffered gunshot wounds."

The identities of both victims have not been released and no one has been arrested. Both shootings remain under investigation.

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The killings surpassed the 48 homicides reported for all of 2019, Elder told Fox News. The shootings come amid a surge in gun violence in several American cities as elected leaders and law enforcement grapple with calls for police reform and ongoing protests against police brutality that have routinely turned violent during tense confrontations between demonstrators and authorities.

Over the weekend, protesters vandalized Minneapolis' 5th precinct building and targeted officers with fireworks, according to police officials.