Bemidji police investigate shooting near Itasca Loop, reports say three shot

A shooting near Itasca Loop kept Bemidji police on scene Thursday evening as initial reports said three people may have been hit, a development that landed hard in a city of 14,574 residents.

The Bemidji Police Department said the scene remained active while officers worked to sort out what happened. At that point, officials had not publicly confirmed how many people were wounded, what condition they were in or whether a suspect had been identified.

The incident immediately drew attention because of the setting. Bemidji is a relatively small community, and violence that unfolds on a city street or in a neighborhood can ripple quickly through nearby homes, apartment areas and businesses. Police had not released information about any traffic closures, school impacts or evacuation orders tied to the scene.

Beltrami County records also point to how serious incidents are processed locally. The county’s records office maintains initial, investigative and criminal files for the Bemidji Police Department, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the Blackduck Police Department, placing the paper trail for major cases through the same law-enforcement system that is now handling this shooting inquiry.

The case comes with painful local context. A fatal shooting near Bemidji in 2021 briefly triggered a shelter-in-place alert, a reminder that violent calls in and around the city have previously prompted large public-safety responses. That history is likely to sharpen concern now as police continue trying to determine whether Thursday’s shooting was an isolated event or part of something broader.

For now, the clearest facts are limited but significant: a shooting was reported near Itasca Loop, Bemidji police were actively investigating, and the victim count remained unconfirmed even as early reports pointed to three people shot. Officials had not released identities, conditions or a suspect as the investigation continued.