An Elk River man is in critical condition after being shot in Ham Lake on Wednesday night, officials say.
Anoka County sheriff’s deputies responded about 7:20 p.m. to the parking lot of a SuperAmerica on Constance Boulevard after receiving a report of a road rage incident that ended in a shooting, according to a news release issued by the sheriff’s office.
The 21-year-old victim, who was a passenger in a pickup truck, was transported to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids with a gunshot wound to his chest, the news release said. After undergoing surgery, he was listed in critical condition late Wednesday night.
The pickup’s other occupants — a 31-year-old Ham Lake man and a 20-year-old Zimmerman man — told authorities they were traveling north on Minnesota 65, when the victim shouted at the driver of another vehicle and was shot, according to a KMSP-TV report.
But investigators now believe this account was fabricated and that no road rage incident took place, the sheriff’s office news release said. They continue to interview the two men and are seeking a warrant to search the pickup.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear late Wednesday, according to the news release. The victim’s identity has not yet been released.