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Somali-American gang violence in the Twin Cities metro has erupted in recent days, with law enforcement recovering nearly 100 shell casings after a shooting captured on a resident’s surveillance camera — as officials warn they need help to contain the problem before it gets worse.
The warning follows an outbreak of violence in several Twin Cities suburbs — including a shooting in Bloomington that left nearly 100 shell casings and another shooting in Eden Prairie — as law enforcement says the incidents have entered a cycle of retaliation and authorities rush to disrupt the groups before the violence turns into more entrenched criminality, motivated by drugs and money.
“We have an opportunity to solve this problem,” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said of a surge in Somali gang violence in the Twin Cities, but warned that authorities could face a much more difficult problem if the groups increase the resources they use.
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Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges is seen during a press conference. (KMSP/FOX-9)
“It’s early. Once they turn into drugs, we’re in trouble. Once they turn into money, more money, we’re in trouble,” said Fletcher, whose county is anchored by St. Paul and runs along the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Fletcher estimated about 300 juveniles are involved and said part of the problem is the relative newness of Somali gangs to local law enforcement and what he called a reluctance to aggressively pursue offenders across the river in Minneapolis.
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“We need more people focused on this problem. Because 50 out of 300 kids need to go to prison, 25 need to be prosecuted federally for RICO, and another 25 need to be prosecuted locally. Take 50 of the most active out of the mix, and we’ll see dramatic changes,” he said.
He attributed some of that reluctance to neighboring Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty, saying she had not been “aggressive” enough in pursuing these offenders.
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“One of the misconceptions is that somehow when you prosecute people and put them in prison, you deprive them of a terrible life. That’s how children are corrected,” he said.
Moriarty’s office rejected that assertion, with spokesman Daniel Borgertpoepping saying neighboring communities are “looking for solutions” and that Moriarty’s attorneys “communicate daily with law enforcement (and) will participate in any group that moves us toward sustainable public safety.”
A Ramsey County Sheriffs vehicle is shown. (Michael Siluk/Universal Images Group)
“The way we approach prosecuting violent crimes is consistent, regardless of the race or ethnicity of those involved,” Borgertpoepping said.
Meanwhile, metro area residents expressed outrage at local officials over the violence and what they described as a growing threat to public safety.
Jared Scribner, a resident of nearby Edina, criticized officials for calling the problem “gun violence” and demanded they “face up to what’s happening even when the facts are politically uncomfortable.”
Scribner said gang-associated violence erupted at a local party event and at a park.
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We see the Minneapolis skyline, in and around which Somali gangs are springing up. (Arthur Maiorella/Getty Images)
“We don’t need more virtue signaling, street signs, DEI initiatives or community conversations that lead nowhere. We need competent government, accountability and safe neighborhoods,” he said, also accusing Moriarty’s office of “refusing” to properly address the problem.
He also suggested that authorities sometimes generalized the ethnicity of those involved, noting that “it seems more comfortable for some people to say East African.” I don’t even know if that term is right, because 98% of the members of these gangs are Somalis.”
In nearby Bloomington, where about 100 shell casings were recovered at the scene of a late-night shooting that appeared to involve automatic weapons, Police Chief Booker Hodges took a confrontational approach toward the suspects still at large — while warning that they don’t fit the typical gang member stereotype.
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A street sign reading “Somali St” is pictured with Riverside Plaza in the background in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
“They come from two-parent homes, live in apartment buildings with $3,500 monthly rent, drive Beamers and Mercedes. They don’t deal with money. There are no drugs in the house. They buy legal guns,” he said.
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“To those of you who committed this shooting, you know that I know that you know that we know who you are. So my suggestion is: turn yourself in. Let’s stop playing these games with you running around here and doing all this stuff,” Hodges warned — as the violence draws national attention.
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