Charges: Man armed with AK-47 left bullet holes in Minneapolis apartment building, neighboring home

A man who police say sparked a standoff after firing shots from a semi-automatic weapon in a Minneapolis apartment building has been charged.

Nathan Mellstrom Matz, 39, was charged Thursday by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office with three counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. According to court documents and eviction filings, Matz had lived in the apartment since 2014.

It started when residents of the 4000 block of Minnehaha Avenue reported sightings of a man walking down the street with a gun. Police searched for the man, but couldn’t find him. A few hours later, around 4:30 a.m., police received more calls about shots fired in the same block. Police arrived at the apartment and evacuated residents after hearing more shots.

Matz was shot by police after holing up in a stairwell with an AK-47 and firing multiple shots inside the apartment building, police said. He is currently recovering in the hospital.

No residents were harmed, but several reported bullet holes in their apartments and one resident of a house across the street found bullet holes in her home as well.

“Mr. Matz’s dangerous actions put an entire apartment building and neighborhood at risk and I’m grateful no one was hurt,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a press release. “We must act with urgency to prevent gun violence in our community and ensure community safety.”

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