MINNEAPOLIS, MN – A grocery store clerk in Minneapolis’ Loring Park neighborhood suffered a grisly fatal attack on Friday afternoon. Police found the 66-year-old cashier behind the counter impaled with a golf club. Minneapolis Police Department officers were called to the Oak Grove Grocery store just before 1 p.m. in response to a stabbing.
Despite immediate medical aid and transport to the Hennepin County Medical Center, the man succumbed to his injuries. Witnesses present at the scene aided police in tracking down a 44-year-old suspect located in a neighboring apartment unit. The man had barricaded himself inside, leading to a six-hour standoff with police that ultimately concluded with his arrest.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara revealed that the suspect had entered the store before the police had arrived, selected items for purchase, and then begun a horrific assault on the cashier behind the counter. The attack appears unprovoked, with no current known motive.
O’Hara described the shocking scene as “absolutely senseless and horrific,” acknowledging the distress caused to the neighborhood. He indicated that the victim was a well-known figure in the community, though the relationship, if any, between the victim and the assailant remains uncertain.
The incident comes amid an uptick in gun violence and murders in the city since mid-October.