[UPDATE – June 23, 2020: Minneapolis Police have updated their reporting on the Uptown incident, and have said that Cody Pollard was actually shot and killed near 7th Street and First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. What follows is the story as it originally ran.]
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – ShotSpotter technology has collected more than 1,600 shots in Minneapolis in the past 30 days.
Nine people were shot within four hours of Monday in three separate shootings, within a two-mile radius in north Minneapolis.
The numbers show that there have been more than 100 people shot in Minneapolis since George Floyd’s death. Early Monday morning, Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo called for additional help to end the violence.
“It will not be tolerated by our police department, by our boss, by me,” Frey said.
Just after 2:30 pm, four people were shot near the 1600 block of Morgan Avenue North. At approximately 4:09 pm, four more people were shot on West Broadway and North Lyndale Avenues. At 6:41 pm, another person was shot near North 25th Avenue and North 4th Street.
In addition to Monday’s shooting, one man died and another was seriously injured in a double stab in downtown Minneapolis.
The shootings prompted Frey to ask the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota State Patrol and others for help.
“That’s the ATF, that’s the Secret Service, that’s the FBI for investigative purposes,” Frey said.
Chief Arradondo said the victims on Monday, and the majority of victims in Uptown over the weekend, are black men.
“We are making people resolve their disputes by raising a gun and shooting,” said Arradondo. “We will see increased visibility of different law enforcement partners, but we will also see a huge increase in intelligence sharing with all of our partners here.”
Police officers say WCCO officers are being rejected if they answer the calls at this time, or if they don’t answer. But they plan to continue answering calls when people need help. Citizens are also encouraged to film officers who respond with cell phones. Chief Arradondo believes that if more people use their phones during police encounters, there will be more responsibility.
Early Sunday morning, a young father was killed and 11 others suffered non-fatal injuries in a mass shooting in the Uptown business district near Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues. Dustin Sanchez is a longtime Uptown resident.
“It was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. And I was just sitting there looking at him, and I had two shots that went through my head, ”Sánchez said.
Several businesses were also hit by bullets.
“I came here and helped him clean everything. We were pulling shells from the walls where they hit. We were cleaning glass, cleaning blood, ”said Sánchez. “It is stupid, it is no longer needed here.”
Sánchez, a father or four-year-old son, says his family chose the area because of its walking ability and convenience. Lately, he says it has been a focus of tension and frustration. “
“There is like zero authority here. We called 911 a couple of times and they said we were alone because they don’t have people to come help us. There is no help with city officials or the police at this time. There are literally citizens trying to keep people out of our block right now, keep people out of our street, ”Sánchez said. “I just want to have a family and live here and enjoy here in our community, see how it continues to grow.”
Kory Harris is another concerned neighbor.
“They have common sense,” said Harris. “There is no need for violence, we have to unite.”
City leaders say officers who responded to the shooting were thrown with bottles and stones. But on Broadway and Lyndale Avenues, community activists urged people to partner with the police. Lisa Clemons and Jamar Nelson are with the group A Mother’s Love. They want to work with law enforcement to end the violence and are upset that Minneapolis City Council members want the department to be dissolved.
“I totally disagree with saying abolish the police. Right now we are living in lawless territory because we have told people not to respect the police, “said Clemons. “I think Lisa Bender, chair of the city council, should resign immediately.”
Nelson says Bender’s call for dissolution is “irresponsible”.
“Abolishing the police department, dismantling them irreparably hurts blacks and browns,” said Nelson.
WCCO contacted Bender on Monday about the increase in violence, but she did not respond.
Arradondo has yet to reveal details of who the shooter was in Uptown early Sunday morning.
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