Police: Minn. office shooter kills 4, then self

The victims' bodies were found shortly after officers arrived at Accent Signage Systems Inc., located in a residential area in the city's north side, after receiving a 911 call Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from police spokesman Sgt. Stephen McCarty.

"When officers arrived and entered the business to assist with the evacuation of employees, give aid to the victims and to search for the suspect, they found four victims dead from apparent gunshot wounds," the statement said.

Four other people were wounded, including three critically.

No details were released about the shooter, other than he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

During a news conference Thursday night, Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Kris Arneson wouldn't specify how many people had been killed, saying only that "several" victims were found dead inside. She said police never fired at the shooter, but she didn't release other details — including the shooter's possible motive or whether he had worked at the company.

Hennepin County Medical Center was treating the four patients, including three men in critical condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The fourth victim suffered minor injuries, police said.

None of the victims' names has been released.

Someone from inside the building called 911 around 4:30 p.m. to report the shootings, police said. The first officers on the scene quickly began evacuating people from the business and closed off several blocks.

Dozens of squad cars and SWAT officers swarmed the neighborhood Thursday afternoon, and traffic was stopped on a nearby bridge along Penn Avenue, where officers had rifles drawn and pointed at the business and a park below.