DULUTH, Minn. – The Lincoln Park area was the scene of a grim discovery Tuesday afternoon when officers responding to reports of gunfire found 33-year-old Darius Handy lying dead on the 400 block of Piedmont Avenue. The Duluth Police Department says Handy died from apparent gunshot wounds in what remains an unfolding investigation.
Police say Handy and the person believed to have shot him knew each other, though they are not releasing any names or details about suspects. Authorities have also made clear there is no ongoing danger to residents. Law enforcement blocked off the area for hours as detectives gathered evidence and spoke to those in the neighborhood.
People living nearby described a sudden shock as sirens and flashing lights replaced the typical afternoon calm. One neighbor said the sound that startled her was first mistaken for pounding at her door, until she realized it was gunshots. Others saw rows of emergency vehicles set up near the intersection of Piedmont and West Fourth Street, tape sealing off streets and investigators moving through the scene.
Handy’s life in recent months had been marked by legal troubles, including a January arrest tied to an outstanding warrant for assault after he missed a scheduled court date. That case was linked to an incident where he was accused of hitting someone with a vehicle during a dispute over unpaid power bills. A court appearance was scheduled for mid-February.
Before that, Handy had a long record of convictions in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including felony domestic assault and threats of violence. Friends and acquaintances paint a complicated picture of a man who struggled with his past and whose final moments unfolded far from the life he once knew.
Officials are investigating whether this shooting has any relation to another fatal incident that same night involving deputies from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office in a separate part of Duluth. For now, those answers remain unclear as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension helps with the broader set of inquiries.
The community is left searching for answers and comfort, coming to terms with a sudden and violent end to a life known to neighbors and local first responders alike.
