In a joint news conference in Minneapolis on Monday, leaders from over 40 law‑enforcement agencies announced a sweeping collaboration to combat gun violence linked to Somali youth gangs in the Twin Cities metro area. The effort follows a spate of recent shootings, including a home‑coming football game incident at Eden Prairie High School that injured two people and a Bloomington shooting that left nearly 100 shell casings at the scene.
Broad coalition of agencies
The new task force brings together the gun and non‑fatal shooting units of the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department’s non‑fatal shooting unit, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Violent Crime Reduction Unit. Federal partners include the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and dozens of smaller police agencies throughout the metro area, as well as the Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka and Dakota sheriff’s offices.
All participants will share intelligence through the Crime Gun Intelligence Center, an inter‑agency hub that allows jurisdictions to exchange firearm evidence quickly and efficiently.
Focus on Somali youth gangs
Law‑enforcement officials have identified several Somali‑American gangs, most notably groups known as “Muddy” and “The Ville,” as responsible for a series of shootings and violent incidents, including a 2024 shooting outside the Minnesota State Fair and a large brawl inside the fair in 2025. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher previously estimated that roughly 300 youths across 12 distinct groups were involved in recent violence.
Community leaders, including Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, emphasized that the focus is on individuals, not the broader Somali community. “We weren’t calling them ‘the Black gangs.’ We were calling them the Highs and Lows, and they all just happened to be Black. Enough with the nonsense about directing anger, hate words, hateful acts toward an entire community,” Witt said.
Federal tools and local resources
ATF Special Agent Joe Persails highlighted the commitment to protect families: “Our intent is to build strong criminal cases, disrupt cycles of retaliation and ultimately prevent the next shooting.” The ATF has dedicated an enforcement group solely to gang‑related investigations.
FBI Special Agent Christopher Dotson noted that the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is “on the table” as a tool to dismantle these criminal networks, a strategy already used earlier this year to indict dozens of members of the Highs and Lows gang.
Community engagement and parental involvement
Sheriff Witt announced the creation of the Hennepin Enhanced Enforcement Team, which includes detectives, officers, investigators and analysts from the sheriff’s office, Minneapolis police, University of Minnesota police and the ATF. Existing task forces—Violent Offender, West Metro Drug, and Hennepin County Auto Theft—will also lend resources as needed.
Somali‑American police officers held a separate listening session, urging parents to engage with their children, build trust, and monitor their whereabouts. “Parents should be proactive before anything bad occurs,” they said.
Looking ahead
Sheriff Fletcher plans a series of community meetings after the November 3 election, beginning with a gathering focused on Somali mothers. “We have to get the moms empowered to know what their kids are doing,” he said, adding that political rhetoric should not dominate the conversation.
The collaborative task force represents a coordinated, multi‑level response aimed at safeguarding the Twin Cities’ families while respecting the dignity of the Somali community.
Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.
