Gunfire early Saturday in downtown Minneapolis left two people dead and three wounded, police said, in one of at least three shootings after midnight that injured people across the city.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said officers were responding to numerous fights near N. 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue when they heard gunshots just before 2 a.m. Saturday. Officers rushed to the scene and found five victims, who were given medical aid before being transported to area hospitals.

Two men died, ages 20 and 21, O’Hara said. Two girls, ages 16 and 17, and a 23-year-old woman sustained noncritical injuries.

A man was arrested on suspicion of riot in connection with the shooting, but authorities were investigating his role in the incident. The suspect is 25, according to the Hennepin County jail log. Police said they recovered a firearm and other evidence from the scene.

“Five families had their lives changed last night, and our hearts go out to them,” Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell said at a news conference Saturday. She said police will increase security in the area with help from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and 21 Days of Peace, a violence intervention group.

The Sheriff’s Office will be deploying extra uniformed and non-uniformed deputies in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday night, said spokeswoman Megan Larson.

”Our office will be watching closely throughout the weekend to determine if more deputies and detectives are needed for the foreseeable future” Larson said. “We are in constant contact and collaboration with MPD and we’ll be working out a strategic plan to combat the violence that has been a pattern over the summer, and in particular last night.”

“MPD investigators will work tirelessly to bring whoever is responsible for this tragic incident to justice,” O’Hara said. “We will continue with our late-night safety plan, and work with our law enforcement and community-based partners to enhance the level of safety for all.”

Children play near Na’Vayaiah Manciel, right of center, and cousin Ebony Brooks, both from Minneapolis as they paint on the sidewalk near a memorial for their cousin De’Miaya Broome Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024 at Hennepin Avenue and North 5th Street in Minneapolis, Minn. Broome was to be the godmother of Manciel’s baby. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The violence came a week after an SUV drove into a crowd after a fight at the same downtown intersection. Latalia Anjolie Margalli is charged with one count of second-degree murder and five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the crash that killed De’Miaya Broome and injured several others shortly after 12:20 a.m. on Sept. 14.

Investigations for both crimes are ongoing, but O’Hara said he wasn’t ruling out a connection between the hit-and-run and the shooting.

“Both incidents at this corner involved teenagers out on the street at a time where there is nothing for them to get into but trouble,” the chief said in a statement. “I am concerned by the number of teenagers involved in fights at this corner late at night over the last two weekends, and we will be investigating if any businesses are profiting off them being here.”

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MPD deploys officers to the area when bars close to reduce traffic as part of the department’s late-night safety plan. They often encounter trouble at that time, including fights that sometimes escalate to gunfire.

Scanner audio from Saturday’s fatal shooting suggests that officers struggled to control crowds of people, leading them to request backup.

“Another victim on 5th,” an officer said after mention of 100 people near the scene. “I need more cops over here now.”

At least two other shootings also were reported early Saturday in Minneapolis. Police have announced no arrests in either case.

A man was wounded around 12:48 a.m. after a shooting in the 3000 block of Lyndale Avenue S. Officers gave the man medical aid until he was transported to HCMC with non-life-threatening injuries.

Another shooting, reported at 2:46 a.m. in the 5400 block of Nicollet Avenue, injured two. Officers found evidence of gunfire on the scene and were told that two men were taken to HCMC in a private vehicle. Both men had non-life-threatening injuries.

There have been five homicides in Minneapolis since last weekend, bringing the year’s total to 57. There were 47 homicides in Minneapolis at this time in 2023, according to a Star Tribune database.

Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this story.