On November 5, 2024, 13-year-old Qudir D. Blackwell was fatally shot in Minneapolis in the early morning near N. 24th and Sheridan avenues, in the 2400 block of N. Ferrant Place. Police described the shooting as an apparent accidental discharge. A 14-year-old boy was handling a firearm when it discharged; Blackwell was struck once and died at the scene despite aid from responding officers.

The house where the shooting occurred was occupied at the time by several people, including two adult women and other juveniles. The 14-year-old who discharged the weapon remained at the scene and was arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara urged improved gun safety and secure storage following the incident.

Two weeks earlier the city had experienced another accidental pediatric shooting, when a 3-year-old fatally shot himself, a detail that underscores concerns about firearms in homes with children. Does anyone in the area have information about secure storage practices or witnessed activity near N. 24th and Sheridan that night?