14-year-old killed in shooting near Woodbury graduation party

Woodbury police have announced that a 14-year-old boy was killed in a shooting near a graduation party on the 6100 block of Edgewood Avenue on Saturday night.

The boy has been identified by family as Demaris Nathan Hobbs-Ekdahl, with his aunt launching a GoFundMe page to help with his funeral expenses.

"Detectives worked tirelessly through the night investigating the case and will continue to work on developing leads," Woodbury PD said in the update. 

"We believe that the shooters knew each other and that this was not a random act," Police Commander John Altman told the Star Tribune. "Detectives are working on identifying and locating suspects. Again, this is an active case, still under investigation."

The gunfire was reported by multiple 911 callers from the 6100 block of Edgewood Avenue, with Altman issuing a release that says dispatchers could hear "people screaming, including one stating 'Help me.'" 

Officers arrived at the scene at 10:46 p.m. Altman said there were 30-40 people in the area "with what appeared to be a graduation party at a nearby residence." Hobbs-Ekdahl was reportedly at the party with his older brother.

Details of the gunfire are limited, though witnesses told police that a white SUV was involved and fled the area, in addition to a "dark SUV or truck" ... "also believed to be involved." 

Several houses were struck by bullets, though there are no reports of residents being injured. 

Further complicating the incident is Woodbury PD saying "We are aware of other scenes in neighboring Maplewood and Oakdale, in which there are vehicles that are believed to be involved. Those scenes are also under investigation."

Note: The details provided in this story are based on the police’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.