Minneapolis

Sept. 16 (UPI) — City authorities in Minneapolis on Tuesday cleared a homeless encampment located on private land after a mass shooting at the site left multiple people injured.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other city officials announced the move during a press conference, saying the camp located on the city’s south side was unsafe and unsanitary, attracting drug trafficking and violence. The camp’s demolition comes a day after a shooting at the site that left seven people severely injured. It was the second mass shooting that occurred on the city’s south side and part of a particularly violent summer for Minneapolis.

The camp’s closure comes as cities across the United States have struggled with encampments as they’ve seen soaring housing prices and homeless populations. But Frey insisted the camp and others like it are not a solution to homelessness and are unsafe.

“They are not safe for the people living at the encampment, for the people going to the encampment to buy and or sell drugs, they are not safe for the surrounding community,” he said.

Roughly 75 people lived at the camp and have been offered shelter and other services, city officials said. A video of the camp’s clearing by KTSP shows a crew dismantling structures and loading debris into a garbage truck.

The camp had become a public health nuisance with people living among drug paraphernalia, garbage, spoiled food and human waste, said Enrique Velasquez, the city’s director of regulatory services. He said the property’s owner, Hamoudi Sabri, had been repeatedly cited.

Sabri said in a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune that his encampment was a response to what he called was city leader’s neglect to the area.

“Instead of emergency response, the pattern has been abandonment – and repeated displacement that leaves people more vulnerable to violence,” he said.

Frey said addressing the camp was “particularly difficult” because of the city’s fraught relationship with Sabri and that he was expecting both sides to go to court over the camp’s closing.

Aug. 29 (UPI) — The two children killed in Wednesday’s church shooting in Minneapolis have been identified by their families.

The two children were killed Wednesday when a gunman opened fire at the church of the Annunciation Catholic School where students and parishioners had been assembled for Mass.

Jesse Merkel identified one of the deceased as his 8-year-old son, Fletcher Merkel, during a press conference outside of the school on Thursday.

“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming,” Jesse Merkel said.

“Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.”

He added that they are not asking for sympathy, but empathy as his family and the community grieve.

“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,” he said.

The second deceased victim was identified as 10-year-old Harper Moyski, according to a statement from the family.

“Harper was a bright, joyful and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her,” Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in the statement.

“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”

Eighteen others, including 15 children aged 6 and 15 and three adult parishioners in their 80s, were wounded in the shooting.

The Minneapolis Police Department earlier Thursday increased the casualty count from 17 after an identifying another injured child.

The suspect, 23-year-old Robin Westman, reportedly a former student and transgender woman, was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said in a statement the shooter used three different firearms in the shooting, with officers recovering 116 rifle casings, three shotgun shells and one live pistol round from the scene.

Video surveillance of the shooting confirmed the gunman was unable to enter the church and fired into the church from outside.

“The practice of locking the doors once Mass began likely prevented a worse incident,” the Minneapolis Police Department said. “At the same time, the suspect attempted to barricade a door from the outside, preventing exit from the church.”

Mayor Jacob Frey said following the shooting that “it could have been far worse.”

A motive for the shooting was not clear.

On Thursday, police said four search warrants were executed at the church and three other locations in the Metro Minneapolis area, resulting in officers finding additional firearms.

Hundreds of pieces of evidence were also recovered, they said.

THE first child victim of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting has been named as eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel.

Fletcher was one of two children killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday as his father paid a heartbreaking tribute.

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In a heartbreaking statement dad Jessie said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”

The devastated father added that Fletcher was “on the path to becoming to a wonderful young man”.

Sick lone gunman Robin Westman, 23, fired over 100 bullets at defenseless kids and teachers in the horror attack.

He later turned the gun on himself before police could arrive.

Jessie didn’t say Robin’s name as spoke today but instead referred to him as a “coward”.

He blamed him for taking away Fletcher’s loved one’s ability to “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow”.

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Aug. 28 (UPI) — In Minneapolis, people of all faiths have united in mourning after Wednesday’s church school shooting that killed two children.

Minneapolis officials have added another victim to the total from yesterday’s mass shooting at the Church of the Annunciation.

Current totals now are two children, ages 8 and 19, who were killed by shooter Robin Westman, who died by gun suicide at the scene, according to Minneapolis officials.

Another 15 children and minors between ages 6 and 15 were injured, along with three adult parishioners who were attending the morning school mass at the church in south Minneapolis.

Hundreds of people gathered at Lynnhurst Park in the city on Wednesday evening to mourn the two children who were killed. Many left flowers and candles.

A memorial prayer was held at the Academy of Holy Angels at 8:58 p.m. after starting late to accommodate hundreds of attendees, the Star Tribune reported.

“I was very moved to see how many churches were having prayer services this evening, how many of our Protestant brothers and sisters [attended],” Archbishop Bernard Hebda told those in attendance.

“I received messages today from the Jewish community, from the Muslim community,” Hebda added. “I know there are representatives from both of those groups who are here.”

Hebda read a message from Pope Leo, as written by Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“He sends his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy,” Hebda said.

The Minneapolis Police Department increased its patrols near the school, and city officials are coordinating with the St. Paul Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement to provide added security at all schools in the city’s metro area for the next couple of weeks.

A news conference was scheduled at 1 p.m. CDT at Minneapolis City Hall and was to include local officials, law enforcement and members of Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action.

Westman, 23, legally purchased the rifle, shotgun and pistol used to carry out the attack at the religious school for children in pre-K through eighth grade.

Westman once attended the Annunciation Catholic School, and Westman’s mother formerly was a teacher.

Westman was born Robert Westman but, according to Fox News, changed his name to Robin in 2019. CNN reported that Westman graduated from Annunciation’s grade school in 2017, based on a yearbook photo.

Local officials say Westman acted alone, and local police obtained four search warrants for the church and three other locations in Minneapolis, which led to the recovery of several more firearms.

A motive remains unknown, but Westman had posted a manifesto online, along with photos of firearms and ammunition magazines upon which he had written various statements.

The online content has been removed, and the FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.

At least two children were killed and more than a dozen others injured in a mass shooting at a Catholic school in the US city of Minneapolis. A church service was underway when police say a shooter began firing through the windows.

July 20 (UPI) — The Minneapolis mayor during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests has lost the backing of the Democratic party to a Somali-American after a contested vote by members of the party.

Omar Fateh, 35, a state Senator, won the mayoral endorsement over Jacob Frey, who has held the office since 2018.

Fateh is the first Somali-American to serve in the state legislature since 2018 and received 60% of the delegates at the Minneapolis DFL convention Saturday, despite complaints from the Frey campaign about the election process.

Frey took issue with electronic balloting at the convention, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and said he would appeal the vote.

“This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention,” Frey’s campaign manager office said in a statement. “Voters will now have a clear choice between the records and leadership of Sen. Fateh and Mayor Frey. We look forward to taking our vision to the voters in November.”

Frey was elected mayor in 2017 and again in 2021, and was in charge of Minneapolis during the 2020 BLM riots after George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer.

MINNEAPOLIS — Police reform and civil rights activists joined thousands of other people Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at religious services, concerts and vigils nationwide and decry the Trump administration for setting their efforts back decades.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said at a Houston graveside service that Floyd represented all of those “who are defenseless against people who thought they could put their knee on our neck.”

He compared Floyd’s killing to that of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy who was abducted and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman.

“What Emmett Till was in his time, George Floyd has been for this time in history,” Sharpton said.

In a park about 2 miles away from Floyd’s grave site, a memorial service was set to take place, followed by five hours of music, preaching, poetry readings and a balloon release.

Events started Friday in Minneapolis with concerts, a street festival and a “self-care fair,” and were to culminate with a worship service, gospel music concert and candlelight vigil on Sunday.

The remembrances come at a fraught moment for activists, who had hoped the worldwide protests that followed Floyd’s murder by police on May 25, 2020, would lead to lasting police reform across the U.S. and a continued focus on racial justice issues.

Events in Minneapolis center around George Floyd Square, the intersection where Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck to the pavement for about 9½ minutes, even as the 46-year-old Black man’s cried, “I can’t breathe.” Even with Minneapolis officials’ promises to remake the Police Department, some activists contend that the progress has come at a glacial pace.

“We understand that change takes time,” Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said in a statement last week. “However, the progress being claimed by the city is not being felt in the streets.”

The Trump administration moved Wednesday to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville that called for an overhaul of their police departments following Floyd’s murder and the police killing of Breonna Taylor. Under former President Biden, the U.S. Justice Department had pushed for oversight of local police it had accused of widespread abuses.

President Trump has also declared an end to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the federal government, and his administration is using federal funds as leverage to force local governments, universities and public school districts to do the same. Republican-led states also have accelerated their efforts to stamp out DEI initiatives.

Vancleave and Lafleur write for the Associated Press and reported from Minneapolis and Houston, respectively.

NFL owners have decided to keep the “Tush Push,” the signature short-yardage play of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, after a vote Wednesday at their spring meeting in Minneapolis.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the vote was 22-10 in favor of the ban, falling short of the 24 votes it needed to go into effect.

The “Tush Push” is a version of a quarterback sneak in which two or three players line up behind the signal caller and help drive him forward in short-yardage situations.

The Eagles — who also call the play the “Brotherly Shove” — have been nearly flawless in executing the push since 2022, with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts carrying the ball. During that span, ESPN reports, the Eagles and Buffalo Bills have run the play more than the rest of the NFL combined, with a far greater success rate (87% for Philadelphia and Buffalo compared to 71% for the rest of the league).

Also during the past three seasons, the Eagles have scored 27 touchdowns and recorded 92 first downs using the play, according to ESPN.

“Push on,” the Eagles said in a graphic posted on X after the vote results came out. The team also posted a 26-minute video of “Tush Push” highlights on YouTube.

A proposal by the Green Bay Packers to ban the play was tabled at the NFL’s annual league meeting in April. The Packers submitted a revision this week to prohibit “an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.”

The initial proposal had called for those restrictions only to be in effect “immediately at the snap.”

The proposal cited “player safety” and “pace of play” as reasons for the ban, although many opponents of the play seem to focus on the former argument. Others have questioned the play’s place in football, suggesting it is more of a rugby move, and that its perceived automatic nature, at least when the Eagles run it, is bad for the game.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended his team’s use of the play while speaking with reporters in February.

“We work really, really hard, and our guys are talented at this play. And so it’s a little insulting to say just because we’re good at it, it’s automatic,” he said.

“The fact that it’s a successful play for the Eagles and people want to take that away, I think it’s a little unfair.”

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and retired Philadelphia center Jason Kelce addressed the team owners Wednesday before the vote. Kelce had explained on the most recent episode on his and brother Travis Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast that he was going to Minneapolis “to answer any questions people have” about the safety of the play.

“I’m just going to offer, if anybody has any questions about the tush push, or whether I retired because of the tush push, I’ll tell you, I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me, ‘All you gotta do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL,’” Kelce said. “I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world.”