As police officers on patrol approached several people on the street early Monday in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, gunfire erupted that left two people wounded, authorities said.

Police said the shooting occurred shortly after 3 a.m. in the 100 block of 4th Street N., an area with a heavy concentration of nightspots.

One person was shot in the shoulder and was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center, while another was grazed in the arm by gunfire and declined medical attention, police said.

In the moments leading up to the bloodshed, officers saw some of the people in the group "acting hostile" toward one another, police spokesman John Elder said in a statement.

Moments later, gunfire sent people in the group scattering, Elder added.

Police interviewed the two people who were shot and others, but they "declined to provide meaningful information as to what happened," the spokesman said.

Asked whether the gunfire could be gang-related, Elder said, "That's one of the things were are looking at right now. … [but] it's too early to label it."

Along with follow-up interviews, police intend to review surveillance video from the area "to delve deeper into this crime," Elder said.

While the numerous bars nearby had closed about an hour earlier, "as the weather gets nice, people tend to linger longer," he said, "so that's one thing our officers are doing, shepherding people along."

Anyone with information this case is asked to call the police tip line at 612-692-8477 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482