A man found fatally shot early Monday on a sidewalk at the intersection of Elliott and Franklin avenues in south Minneapolis has been identified.
Willie Tounzell Smith, 48, died of a gunshot wound to the head, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office said Thursday. He died at 1:20 a.m. Monday.
Smith's body was found by police officers shortly after a woman was struck by a driver who then made a U-turn, with someone inside the vehicle fatally shooting Smith before fleeing the scene, according to police.
Smith's death marked Minneapolis' 27th homicide of the year. To date there have been 28 homicides in the city in 2021, including the shooting death of a 6-year-old girl.
ALEX CHHITH
