• This is an official message from the University of Minnesota.

On Monday, January 25 shortly after 11:00 p.m. two female
University of Minnesota students were walking on a sidewalk outside
of Moos Tower on the East Bank when two males approached them. One
of the males grabbed one of the victim's coats to stop her and the
suspects demanded backpacks and cell phones from the victims. The
victims believe both were armed with handguns. After the robbery
the suspects fled the scene, apparently towards Centennial Hall.

Shortly thereafter, a 19 year-old male University of Minnesota
student was walking on the sidewalk in front of the Centennial
Hall, which is within a block of Moos Tower, when he heard someone
behind him make a comment. The victim turned towards what turned
out to be two male suspects and he was suddenly shot once in the
chest without provocation by one of the suspects. No valuables were
demanded or obtained by the suspects. The two suspects fled the
scene on foot and the victim entered the lobby of Centennial Hall
where he obtained assistance from staff and responding emergency
personnel. The victim was transported to HCMC where he underwent
surgery for the gunshot wound and is expected to survive.

The descriptions of the suspects in the two incidents are very
similar and are as follows:

The first suspect is described as a light skinned black male,
between 18 and 20 years of age, approximately five feet, seven
inches tall with a light build and acne scars on his face. The
suspect was wearing a black puffy winter jacket, black pants and a
stocking cap. The suspect was armed with a handgun.

The second suspect is described as a light skinned black male,
between 18 and 20 years of age, approximately five feet eight
inches tall with a light build. The suspect was wearing a black
jacket. The suspect may have been armed with a handgun.

The University of Minnesota Police Department is investigating
these crimes, along with the assistance of the Hennepin County
Sheriff's Office Crime Lab Unit. Anyone with information about the
incidents is asked to contact University Police at 612-624-COPS
(2677) or 612-626-TIPS (8477).

In addition, the Minneapolis Police Department is investigating the
off-campus robbery of a female University of Minnesota student that
may be related to the incidents listed above. The robbery occurred
just before 11:00 p.m. in the 500 block of Huron Boulevard SE,
which is just a few blocks from where the on-campus incidents
occurred. The victim was also robbed by two males who have a
similar description of the suspects in the incidents above and at
least one of them was armed with a handgun. The UMPD will work with
Minneapolis Police investigators to compare the incidents and
investigate them appropriately if they are in-fact related.