Minnesota [US], May 31 : Four civilians and two police officers were injured in a shooting incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States, authorities said on Friday.

The Minneapolis Police Department in a post on X, said that they were responding to an “active incident” in the area near 22nd and Blaisdell in the Whittier neighbourhood on Thursday (local time).

The police department confirmed, “At this time, 4 civilians and 2 MPD officers are reported injured.”

They further stressed that this is a fluid situation and advised people to avoid the incident site.

“This continues to be a fluid situation. Please avoid the area,” the department said.

https://x.com/MinneapolisPD/status/1796326371469525016

Following the incident, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz highlighted that the state of Minnesota is ready to provide any needed resources.

He further prayed for all the first responders working on the field to keep the community safe.

“The State Patrol is on the scene in South Minneapolis assisting local law enforcement. The State of Minnesota stands ready to provide any resources necessary. Praying for all the first responders on the ground working to keep the community safe,” he said in a post on X.

https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/1796323056170009025

Last month in a similar incident, two police officers and a firefighter were fatally shot and another officer was left injured after responding to a domestic incident early Sunday morning in Burnsville, Minnesota, CNN reported.

Three men were fatally shot, while another officer, Sergeant Adam Medlicott, was injured and taken to a hospital. He is believed to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.

The unidentified man had “several guns and a large amount of ammunition,” when he shot at police from multiple positions in the home.

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A 28-year-old cop in Minneapolis was gunned down Thursday afternoon just outside downtown while responding to a shooting that left another five victims injured, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and other local outlets reported, citing sources.

Police confirmed in a statement that a shooting took place, writing that two officers and four civilians were injured in the gunfire. As of 8:15 p.m. local time, however, cops did not confirm if one of its officers had been killed.

Minneapolis police did not respond to a call and voicemail left by The Daily Beast, but Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), who represents a portion of the city, confirmed in a statement that an officer was killed.

“The killing of a police officer in Minneapolis and another officer wounded, plus other victims, is a terrible tragedy,” she said. “We are a waiting for more details.”

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) wrote in a statement of his own that the second Minneapolis officer shot was “fighting for his life.”

“Incessant violence and disrespect for law enforcement is endemic, and we must restore a culture of consequences immediately,” he said.

Police said shots broke out in the city’s Whittier neighborhood, an up-and-coming area that’s home to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and a number of trendy restaurants. Videos from the scene showed officers arriving in armored vehicles, with automatic rifles strapped over their shoulders.

A motive for the shooting has not been released, and cops have not spoken on the status of the alleged shooter. Their last public update was posted at 6:42 p.m. local time.

“This continues to be a fluid situation,” the department said in a Facebook post.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz released a statement on the shooting saying he was praying for first responders, but didn’t divulge any information about what took place.

The fallen officer’s identity was not immediately released.

The Star Tribune reported that dozens of officers descended upon a hospital downtown after calls of “officer down” went out over the radio. There, the paper reported that officers wept and consoled each other.

When Mel Hesse was approached by parents looking for a photographer to take senior portraits of their non-binary child, something clicked.

Hesse, who goes by they/them, has been working as a photographer with Eliesa Johnson and her wedding photography business Rivets and Roses for a decade. The 15-year-old Minneapolis photography business already has inclusivity embedded in its identity. But the parents’ request made Hesse realize inclusivity in the photography space could go a little further. That’s where Queer Family Portraits comes in, a business name that couldn’t make its mission any clearer.

Johnson and Hesse formally announced the launch of the new brand this week.

“It definitely hit a special spot in my heart hearing how difficult it was for them [to find a photographer] and through their connections as well,” said Hesse. “The work that I do with Rivets already has been impactful and important to me, so we created a brand that can extend from weddings where people are evolving with their families.”

But why create such a specific niche if you’re already an inclusive photographer? Johnson said it’s about raising visibility and accessibility. “People were searching for affirming photographers, and we were learning about these requests for senior and family photos through our wedding photography business. We were shocked to see this gap–that’s why we named this brand Queer Family Portraits because we wanted it to be just really easy for people searching.”

She added: “It also felt like such a natural progression from the work that we’ve done with weddings, that it was very much like, ‘yes, we should absolutely do this.’”

The Rivets team began planning about a year ago, setting time aside to think about the Queer Family Portraits mission, which includes supporting Reclaim, a St. Paul nonprofit that increases mental health care access for queer and trans youth, along with an internal team training for the four photographers involved.

“First and foremost, clients don’t have to put in the emotional energy to question if they will be accepted or not,” said Johnson, sharing that families can take on all forms, whether it’s pet parents, or families who don’t choose to have kids, and even a plant dad. “We’ve spent a lot of time and attention with the process of getting to know our clients and respecting their titles, roles, and family structure—whatever that is–so that there’s zero judgment, and it’s just all pure love.”

For Johnson, segmenting her business is nothing new; she’s already running five total photography businesses.

Queer Family Portraits has already begun taking clients, and both co-founders are excited by the possibilities. “For me, it’s about [raising] the visibility of these families and people that will come through our doors,” said Hesse. “To be able to share that publicly for another queer person to see that and know it exists and also allow other people to come out of the woodwork and embrace who they are, as well.”

(Editor’s note: Eliesa Johnson shoots photos for Twin Cities Business and its sister publication Mpls.St.Paul Magazine​.)