Minneapolis police arrested a 28-year-old man on August 19, 2026, in connection with a July 20 shooting on Oliver Avenue North, FOX 9 reported. Investigators found surveillance video of a dark SUV about ten minutes before the shooting, ran a license plate reader at the intersection, and learned who the vehicle was registered to. Ballistic evidence and a phone-location warrant added to the case.
At a glance
- Agency
- Minneapolis Police Department
- Shooting
- July 20, 2026, about 9:45 p.m., 1200 block of Oliver Avenue North
- Evidence
- About 35 spent casings; a man wounded in the arm; three parked cars struck
- Arrest
- Aug. 19, 2026, by the SWAT team after a search warrant
- Charges
- Second-degree assault; possession of a firearm as a prohibited person
- Weapon
- A handgun linked to three other shootings this year
How the plate reader helped
This is what the report says about the technology’s role.
- Investigators reviewed surveillance video and saw a dark SUV driving south about ten minutes before the shooting.
- They ran a plate reader at the intersection, which showed who the plate was registered to.
- Ballistic evidence and a phone-location tracking warrant then tied the case together, per the complaint.
The outcome
- The man was charged and arrested, and a handgun police say is linked to three other 2026 shootings was recovered.
In the news
“At that intersection, investigators ran an automatic license plate reader, which showed who the license plate was registered to.”
The excerpt is quoted word for word. The rest of this page paraphrases the same report, so names, dates and figures are the reporter’s or the agency’s, not ours. Where a report does not say something, we do not guess.
Context and caveats
- The report describes the plate reader as one step alongside video, ballistics and phone records.
- A criminal complaint contains allegations that a court has not yet decided.
License plate readers are one investigative tool among several. They flag vehicles and give investigators leads; officers, detectives and the public do the rest, and every lead still has to be verified. For how agencies govern the technology, see our policy and data-retention guide and the accuracy guide.
How Intelvi AI fits
See the plate.See the whole story.
Intelvi AI pairs real-time plate recognition with continuous video in one solar-powered, off-grid camera, so a plate read comes with the scene around it.
Continuous video shows what happened before, during and after every read.
Protecting privacy is paramount. Intelvi AI delivers robust features designed to safeguard individual privacy while helping keep communities safe.
Frequently asked questions
What did the plate reader show in Minneapolis?
It showed who the license plate of a dark SUV, seen on video before the shooting, was registered to.
Was the plate reader the only evidence?
No. FOX 9 described surveillance video, ballistic evidence and a phone-location warrant as part of the case.