Police: Weekend shootings in Minneapolis not a clear sign of more violence

Minneapolis police have made no arrests in three shootings over the July 4 weekend that wounded eight people.

Police say the violence started after bars closed early Sunday, when shots were fired at two spots three blocks away from each other in the downtown area. Another shooting occurred on the city's north side.

It is not known whether the three shootings are linked, but Commander Catherine Johnson said they have one factor in common.

"People are choosing to resolve their conflicts by resorting to a gun," Johnson said. "Our biggest issue is trying to convince people that that's not how you resolve disputes."

According to Minneapolis police data, there were 137 shooting calls made to 911 during the first half of the year. There were 155 made during the same period in 2014.

Despite the drop in shootings, gun violence is no less of an issue. So far this year, 22 people have been killed in the city, compared to 15 during the same period last year. Most of this year's homicide victims were shot to death.

However, police officials say the holiday weekend shootings do not necessarily indicate that the city can expect to see more violence.

Investigators are trying to determine who is behind the rash of violence over the weekend. But Johnson said it's also important to keep it all in perspective.

"When we have incidents like this it appears as though, or can appear as though, things have escalated or something new or different is happening," Johnson said. "In fact, what we have right now — at least through the first half of the year — is a decrease in shooting victims and that's a good thing for us."

Some parts of the city have been hit harder than others when it comes to gun violence. Each week the city posts maps full of symbols to indicate shootings, shots fired calls or activations by the city's gunshot detection system.

Shots are often fired in the Jordan neighborhood of north Minneapolis, where School Board Member Don Samuels has lived for many years. Samuels said he has made more calls to 911 this year than in past years.

"We had gunshots in front of our house about three weeks ago," he said.

Samuels, a former member of the Minneapolis City Council, said there are many factors that have led to an uptick in gunplay in his neighborhood. One of his main concerns is the number of property owners on his block who rent to people who attract trouble.

He said one group of renters in a duplex across the street hosted parties that started at 2 a.m.

"You have a party at 2 o'clock, [and] after people are drunk, somebody's going to be crazy," Samuels said. "There's going to be gunfire eventually."

After a late night party resulted in gunshots, Samuels said, the landlord evicted the tenants.

Another group is set to move in soon and Samuels doesn't know what to expect of them. But as he does with other newcomers to the block, Samuels plans to greet them with a basket of cookies or fruit and a friendly reminder to abide by some basic rules of neighborliness — like no late night parties.

Meanwhile, the Minneapolis police department has already started its annual summer crime fighting strategy. Members of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, Metro Transit Police and the Minnesota State Patrol have joined Minneapolis police officers on the city's streets.

The department has also rebuilt its gang unit and assigned officers in north Minneapolis to exclusively investigate shooting calls. Police officials are asking witnesses to the weekend shootings to come forward to help them identify suspects.

Correction (July 7, 2015): Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story misidentified the number of homicides in Minneapolis. So far this year, 22 people have been killed in the city. Most of this year's homicide victims were shot to death. The story has been updated.