One man died early Thursday in a shooting at a Minneapolis apartment building.

When police were called to the 24-unit building at 3033 Grand Av. S. at 2:41 a.m., they found the victim and began CPR, joined by paramedics. But the man, whose name has not been released, died at the scene.

Police said preliminary information indicates the shooting was not random. No arrests have been made.

On Thursday evening, friends and neighbors at and near the scene said that the victim was a young Somali-American. They also said that police had been looking closely at an expensive black car with no license plates that was left parked outside the three-story apartment building, where the man was shot inside No. 304.

"We thought it was really strange that there were no plates on it," said Robin Pottratz, 27, who lives across the street from the building.

He and his companion, Ebony Nichols, 26, said police were asking them about 4 a.m. if they had heard anything, but they said they didn't hear the gunshots. They and another neighbor said there have been occasional police visits to the building.

There was no shrine and little else to show that a man had lost his life, only a few blood smears on the beige hallway tile outside the apartment door. The black car was gone, and neighbors presumed police had it towed away.

"It's a sad situation," said one friend, who declined to give his name.

JOY POWELL AND PAT PHEIFER