Woman, child wounded by gunfire near a Minneapolis park

A woman and child were shot and wounded Thursday afternoon near a Minneapolis park, innocent bystanders caught in gunfire, a police spokesman said.

The woman, in her 20s, and 15-month-old girl, who was in a stroller, each were hit once just after 2 p.m. near Peavey Park, close to the intersection of Park Avenue S. and Franklin Avenue, according to Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder. The shots came from the park side of Park Avenue, he said.

No one has been arrested.

The two were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where they were in stable condition. Police Chief Janeé Harteau visited the woman in the hospital.

Police remained at the scene for some time, interviewing witnesses and searching for evidence before reopening Park Avenue to traffic.

Thursday's shooting followed several fatal shootings in the city in recent days, including a drive-by shooting Tuesday night that left a man dead in north Minneapolis and became the city's 20th homicide this year.

"People are using guns to solve interpersonal differences," Harteau said.

In a statement, Mayor Betsy Hodges expressed her outrage about the incident.

"It's unthinkable that a mother and her 15-month-old would be shot in Minneapolis while simply walking down the street," she said. "As a community we must continue to vehemently reject this kind of violence and channel our outrage into preventing the factors that lead us down this path."

Fred Evans, 57, who lives across the street from the park, said one way to help battle the violence is for residents to become more involved in their community.

"This gun foolishness is something that we really are going to have to figure out how to combat," he said. "Because it just keeps happening."

Nicole Norfleet • 651-925-5032