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A shooting outside a high school homecoming football game. More than 100 rounds fired in a residential neighborhood. A gas station shootout. In the span of a week, a wave of gun violence linked to Somali-American gangs has shaken the Twin Cities suburbs — and prompted law enforcement leaders to call for a regional task force.
The Shootings
Eden Prairie High School — October 2
Two Somali teenagers, ages 17 and 18, were shot in the parking lot of Aerie Stadium during Eden Prairie High School’s homecoming football game against Minnetonka. The shooting sent thousands of panicked spectators running for the exits. “Everybody was just running in one direction,” an 11-year-old spectator told KARE 11. “People were climbing the fences and that kind of scared me”.
Police believe the shooting was gang-related, following a large altercation that broke out on the west side of the stadium shortly before the gunfire. The 18-year-old was released from the hospital Saturday; the 17-year-old remained hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Neither was a student at Eden Prairie or Minnetonka high schools.
Bloomington — October 7
Bloomington police responded to a report of gunfire on the 10000 block of Harriet Avenue at about 12:47 a.m. Tuesday. When officers arrived, they found multiple shell casings and one minor injury. Police Chief Booker Hodges played surveillance video showing at least two individuals firing shots — more than 100 rounds in total.
Hodges described the incident as connected to Somali-American gang activity. “They’re coming from two-parent homes, living in apartment buildings with $3,500 rent, driving luxury cars,” he said. “When you hit their house, they’re not dealing with money, there’s no drugs, they’re purchasing legal firearms. These kids are different. They’re out here shooting each other based on social media beef”.
Eden Prairie Speedway — October 6
Eden Prairie police responded to a shooting at a Speedway gas station on Highway 5 and County Road 4, about a mile from the high school. No one was injured. Four people were detained for questioning but later released.
Edina — July 30 and September 22
Edina police have responded to two shootings linked to Somali-American gang violence. In late July, gunfire erupted at Yancey Park during a large gathering. On September 22, shots were fired at Our Lady of Grace Church as a group played basketball nearby. A search warrant revealed more than 50 shots were fired, with multiple shooters.
The Law Enforcement Response
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher has been the most vocal official calling for action. He estimates there are about 12 Somali gangs with roughly 300 members — a small fraction of Minnesota’s more than 100,000 Somali residents.
“We need a task force that can address this problem,” Fletcher said. “And why is it? Well, it’s because of the mobility. I’ve worked gangs since 1980 when the Crips and the Gangster Disciples arrived here in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Those gangs were never really mobile. … This is a completely different motive of operation. These young kids are traveling all over the metropolitan area”.
Fletcher warned that if the violence escalates into drug- and money-driven crime, “we’re in trouble.” He called for a task force of about 40 officers dedicated to learning about the Somali community and gang members. “We take 50 of the most active out of the mix and we will see dramatic changes,” he said.
Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case called for a regional task force “to address gang activity among East African youth” that would bring together state, county and local law enforcement, prosecutors, youth-service organizations and Somali community leaders. “Gang violence must be confronted, but the actions of those involved should not define the broader Somali community,” Case said.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has been criticized by Fletcher for not being aggressive enough in prosecuting gang offenders. Her office pushed back, saying prosecutors “communicate daily with law enforcement” and that their approach “is consistent regardless of the race or ethnicity of those involved”.
Deputy Jama Shine, a Somali investigator on Fletcher’s team, said the community needs to be “honest.” “Yes, we do have a gang problem, right? And we have to address it. I’m from the (Somali) community. These kids don’t represent me, don’t represent our community. We need to hold them accountable”.
The Community Response
Imam Hassan Jama, founder of Minneapolis’ oldest and largest mosque, pushed back against the narrative he says is driven by police and politicians. “Anyone who commits a crime, we want to treat as a criminal, not name their ethnicity. A crime is a crime, regardless of who did it,” he said. “Stop calling the whole Somali youth Somali gangs. You are not helping. You are harming more than you’re helping”.
Jama said the Somali community is trying hard to integrate and reach the American dream, but trust is eroding between East Africans and law enforcement. “Loudly, I want to address to Somali youth, to any youth, to any youth in Minnesota, what you’re doing is wrong,” he said. “It’s against your teaching, against your tradition, against what your parents teach, and it’s against who your community is. Stop today. Stop right now. You’re putting at risk the whole community”.
Hassanen Mohamed, executive director of the Minnesota Somali Community Center, told KSTP that political attacks directed at the wider Somali population were wrong but said the community also needed to confront violence involving some young people.
Eden Prairie Schools superintendent Josh Swanson condemned anti-Somali statements he was seeing online. “I want to make one thing clear: The heinous and sickening actions of a few do not define an entire community,” he said. “Somali students, neighbors and community members are just as outraged by what happened as everyone else, and each person deserves to feel safe and welcome in our schools and community”.
The Numbers
Fletcher said the Twin Cities metro has seen 14 homicides and over 120 shooting incidents linked to Somali gang violence in the last year. “We had two more last night, and it’s a growing problem,” he said. “And we better work our butts off right now to fix this problem in the Somali community, or we are going to launch into a 200-year legacy that won’t be unlike what some of the European countries are seeing”.
Authorities told NewsNation there have been more than 100 Somali gang-related shootings in the Minneapolis area in the last two years.
The Debate
The violence has sparked a heated debate in Minnesota about how to address it — and whether naming the ethnicity of the perpetrators helps or harms.
Fletcher and other law enforcement leaders argue that acknowledging the Somali gang problem is necessary to solving it. Critics, including some Islamic groups and community leaders, argue it’s stigmatizing to call out a particular ethnicity involved in youth group violence. They say it feeds into broader racism against Somalis, including the large majority who aren’t involved in gangs.
The task force Fletcher is forming would be the first Somali gang task force in the U.S., made up of about five dedicated investigators. Federal officials, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are interested in being involved.
Who Is Harmed: The victims of the shootings, including two teenagers wounded at a homecoming game. Residents of Twin Cities suburbs who no longer feel safe at public gatherings. The Somali community at large, which faces stigma and racism because of the actions of a small number of gang members. Families caught between fear of violence and distrust of law enforcement.
Who Benefits: No one directly. The shootings serve no legitimate purpose. Law enforcement leaders gain a platform for their task force proposal, but the violence itself benefits no one.
Closing Question: Should law enforcement name the ethnicity of gangs when describing violence — or does that stigmatize an entire community for the actions of a few?
Sources
Twin Cities Pioneer Press, “Ramsey County sheriff: Task force focused on Somali gang violence is needed” (October 6, 2026)
FOX 9, “Sheriff Fletcher backs Somali gang task force, calls out Hennepin County leaders” (October 6, 2026)
FOX 9, “Bloomington shooting: 100+ rounds fired in Somali gang-related incident” (October 6, 2026)
Star Tribune / Hiiraan Online, “Eden Prairie shooting renews concern over Twin Cities Somali gang violence” (October 7, 2026)
NewsNation, “Minneapolis area leaders call for task force to address Somali gangs” (October 6, 2026)
Hiiraan Online, “Two Somali teenagers wounded in gang-related shooting outside Minnesota high school” (October 6, 2026)
CBS News, “Minneapolis imam pushes back against police tying recent violence to Somali American gangs” (October 7, 2026)
New York Post, “Somali gangs blamed for shooting at suburban Minneapolis homecoming game” (October 4, 2026)
Fox News, “100-shot Somali gang gun battle rocks Minnesota as sheriff warns ‘we’re in trouble’” (October 7, 2026)
The People’s Weekly — urban intelligence with a holistic social approach.
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