*Police in Minnesota’s Twin Cities are pushing for coordinated action after more than 100 shots ripped through a Bloomington neighborhood early Tuesday.
Officers responded around 12:47 a.m. to the 10000 block of Harriet Avenue, according to KSTP. Police found numerous shell casings, and one person suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said surveillance video showed at least two shooters. No arrests had been announced Tuesday.
“For those of you who did this shooting, you know that I know that you know that I know that we know who you are,” Hodges said, according to Bring Me The News. “So my suggestion is you turn yourself in.”
Hodges connected the shooting to Somali-American gang activity. He said the violence differs from traditional gang activity involving drugs and money.
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“These kids have come from good homes and they have money,” Hodges said. “They’re living in houses that cost more than my mortgage. So, they’re out here simply shooting each other based on social media beef. Period, that’s it.”
Police chiefs from Bloomington, Edina and Eden Prairie addressed the violence during a Tuesday news conference. Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt also participated.
The Bloomington gunfire followed a Monday shooting at an Eden Prairie Speedway gas station. Police found no injuries, and those involved left before officers arrived. Another shooting erupted Friday outside Eden Prairie High School’s homecoming football game, injuring two teenagers.
“We can’t attack or fix a problem unless we’re truly defining the problem,” Eden Prairie Police Chief Matt Sackett said. “Currently, it is the Somali American gang activity that we’re trying to deal with and we need to combat it.”
Hodges stressed that authorities are discussing a small group, not Minnesota’s wider Somali-American population.
“We all know the vast majority of people who come here, who live here, are American citizens, who are Somali Americans bust their butts every single day to make a better living for themselves and their family,” Hodges said. “These kids and young people that are doing this now are not a reflection of them,” Hodges said, according to Sahan Journal.
Witt said two Hennepin County task forces have already shifted their focus toward the gang violence. Law enforcement officials are also discussing a broader regional response. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension plans to bring regional public-safety leaders together to coordinate efforts, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Listen to remarks from law enforcement below about the crisis.
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