The attack that broke out shortly after midnight (Saturday, local) in the Uptown neighbourhood of the city that is popular for its nightlife, created a dreadful environment there, forcing people to take shelter in nearby restaurants and other businesses, reports AP.

Initially, police said at least 10 people received”:serious” injuries in the gun attack. Later in a tweet, they revised their statement with latest information.

They said an unidentified man died after being taken to hospital. Besides, the injuries of the 11 were not life-threatening.

Police suspect that several shooters took part in the attack. They are trying to find out what led to the attack and arrest the perpetrators.

Describing the scenario, Fred Hwang, a manager at Hoban Korean BBQ of the area, said he heard a lot of shots. It appeared that groups of people were shooting each other, he added.

"People were trying to rush inside the restaurant for safety. It was a very scary experience. ... We have bullet holes inside our restaurant like on the walls and stuff. All of our front glass was broken and shattered,” he was describing the situation. 

The Uptown area is about 5 kilometers west of the Minneapolis commercial area and neighborhood hit by rioting in the wake of George Floyd's May 25 death after being arrested by Minneapolis police.

Some of the violence from that period reached as far as Uptown, and many storefronts are still protected by plywood.

The police response is facing scrutiny in the context of Floyd’s killing, that brought out some disturbing facts about the city’s police department. The city council has already voted to ‘defund the police’ in Minneapolis.

On Saturday night, witnesses said police were slow to arrive on the scene. One of them told AP it took as long as 30 minutes after the shooting started for officers to arrive.  

The police however have refuted this, with spokesman John Elder telling AP that police “converged on the area within three minutes of a 12:38 a.m. call being put out”.