Residents of Minneapolis Suburb Blast Leaders Over Recent Shootings

Furious residents of Minneapolis suburbs erupted at their political leaders for failing to address recent shootings involving Somalis.

The placid community of Edina, slightly more than 10 miles southeast of Minneapolis, has been shaken by a string of apparent gang shootings over the last few months.

On July 22, shots were fired at Yancey Park during a ‘large gathering.’ Another shooting followed on September 22 outside Our Lady of Grace Church while a community basketball game was being played. No one was hurt in either incident.

Angry locals demanded accountability for the shootings, which remain unsolved, on Monday night during a packed meeting at Edina City Hall.

‘Semantics aside, we have a gang problem,’ Jared Scribner, who said he had lived in Edina for 25 years, said. ‘There’s clearly a … component from Somali youth as part of that, so call it what it is and deal with it.’

Edina police had stated that Somali teens and young adults ‘have been the targets of – or have had some level of responsibility for’ the shootings.

Scribner chastised city leaders for their response to the shooting at the park, demanding greater accountability.

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Scribner blasted Edina mayor Jim Hovland for referring to the incidents as ‘gun violence,’ calling that characterization ‘grossly misleading.’

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He noted what Edina police had said about Somali youths being linked to the recent shootings.

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Scribner insisted that the shootings were ‘consistent with a broader pattern of gang violence.’

Bishop Harding Smith pushed back and said the shootings were ‘not a Somali problem,’ but rather a ‘youth problem.’

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The July shooting at Yancey Park did not leave any victims, but police said the gunfire struck a nearby home.

Two months later, shots were fired at a group of teens and young adults playing basketball at Our Lady of Grace Church. Detectives believe that the players were the intended targets.

Police found 55 spent cartridge casings in the northwest corner of the church, Fox9 reported. Torn packaging for a new Glock 9mm extended magazine was also discovered.

There were seven cellphones left behind on the court, which were collected for examination.

Edina Police Chief Todd Milburn called the level of violence ‘shocking’ during the meeting on Monday.

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