{"id":2678233,"date":"2026-10-07T18:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T22:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-sheriff-demands-somali-gang-task-force-after-shooting-causes-homecoming-cancellation\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T19:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:03:19","slug":"minnesota-sheriff-demands-somali-gang-task-force-after-shooting-causes-homecoming-cancellation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-sheriff-demands-somali-gang-task-force-after-shooting-causes-homecoming-cancellation\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Sheriff Demands Somali Gang Task Force After Shooting Causes Homecoming Cancellation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fminnesota-sheriff-demands-somali-gang-task-force-after-shooting-causes-homecoming-cancellation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2678233&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Minnesota sheriff is calling for a regional crackdown on Somali gang violence across the twin Cities, emphasizing the need for more arrests, intelligence sharing, and prosecution efforts. Sheriff Bob Fletcher of Ramsey County advocates forming a regional task force, highlighting that criminal groups operate across jurisdictions and require coordinated responses.He specifically urges other agencies, including Hennepin County officials like Sheriff dawanna witt and County Attorney Mary Moriarty, to join the effort. Witt dismisses Fletcher&#8217;s claims, stating her department is already focused on gang activity and passing tips to other agencies. Tensions arise amid recent violent incidents, including a shooting during a homecoming football game in Eden Prairie that injured two Somali teens, which police linked to gang violence. The incident led to the game\u2019s suspension and the cancellation of a dance, with community concerns about Somali gang activity growing. Local leaders, including Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case, request a collective approach involving police, prosecutors, schools, and community leaders to combat youth gang involvement. Fletcher estimates around 300 youths are involved in gangs, representing a small segment of the sizable Somali population in the area, but asserts that arrests are necesary to deter violence. Meanwhile, other municipalities like Edina also face similar issues, with residents citing spillover from Minneapolis and criticizing policies they believe foster crime. authorities are calling for a joint effort to address gang-related violence, though responses and perspectives differ among officials and communities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Minnesota sheriff is demanding a metro-wide crackdown on Somali gang violence in the Twin Cities. The sheriff who actually covers the suburb where a homecoming game was shot up on Friday is telling him to stay on his own side of the river.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Fletcher is the sheriff of Ramsey County, the St. Paul side of the Twin Cities. At a Tuesday news conference, he backed the idea of a regional task force and asked other agencies to join in staffing it.<\/p>\n<p>He said the criminal crews move from suburb to suburb, across jurisdictional lines, and that police will need d intelligence, more arrests, and prosecutors willing to take the cases. He named two Hennepin County officials he wants in: Sheriff Dawanna Witt and County Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/soft-crime-da-called-bloody-mary-caught-trying-toss-child-killers-life-sentence-just-not-fair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mary Moriarty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to go out and get the perpetrators,\u201d Fletcher said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/kstp.com\/kstp-news\/ramsey-county-sheriff-to-outline-somali-gang-task-force-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KSTP-TV<\/a> in St. Paul.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher threw his support behind a regional task force to tackle Somali gang violence while blaming weak prosecution of crime for letting the issue fester, specifically calling out Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. https:\/\/t.co\/JsdnHJ91du<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 FOX 9 (@FOX9) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FOX9\/status\/2107693660439449882?\">October 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Witt runs the sheriff\u2019s office in Hennepin County, which covers Minneapolis and the western suburbs, including the city where Friday\u2019s shooting happened. At her own news conference, she brushed Fletcher off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe just has a habit of talking about stuff he don\u2019t know nothing about,\u201d she said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox9.com\/news\/sheriff-fletcher-backs-somali-gang-task-force-calls-out-hennepin-county-leaders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KMSP-TV<\/a> in St. Paul. \u201cSo he shouldn\u2019t mind Ramsey County business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>KMSP reported that she described her office as already shifted toward gang work and said it was already passing tips to other departments.<\/p>\n<p>The game was Friday night in Eden Prairie and gunfire outside the stadium emptied the stands during a homecoming matchup, <a href=\"https:\/\/kstp.com\/kstp-news\/top-news\/large-police-presence-in-eden-prairie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KSTP<\/a> reported. Two people were hit. Police said the wounds were not life-threatening, the victims were not students at either school, and the shooting appeared to be targeted.<\/p>\n<p>The game was suspended.<\/p>\n<p>KSTP reported that three law enforcement sources said the gunfire was tied to Somali gang activity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.startribune.com\/eden-prairie-shooting-renews-concern-over-twin-cities-somali-gang-violence\/601897762\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Minnesota Star Tribune<\/a> reported that the two wounded were Somali teens.<\/p>\n<p>The school called off Saturday\u2019s homecoming dance. Principal Jaysen Anderson wrote families in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EdenPrairieSchools\/posts\/pfbid02hNYgRq6MGnsemDUpiw8AAS2Px2iBs9Gz5BitMUJHEAZFH3sEdYTUeuKqqT43yCAYl?rdid=QGMAKjtOEmBIupdV#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> that a dance less than a day after \u201ca trauma in our community feels out of place,\u201d even if the district could have secured it. The football game was played out Monday night.<\/p>\n<p>Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case then asked for a regional effort against what he called \u201cgang activity among East African youth.\u201d Fletcher\u2019s briefing was cast as an answer to that request and to shootings in Eden Prairie and Edina that police have tied to gangs.<\/p>\n<p>Fletcher put the number of youths involved at about 300. On KMSP, he said that is a thin slice of a Somali population he put above 100,000. However, he said only a run of arrests would convince the groups that shootings would draw a response.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to arrest 50 of these 300 kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Edina held a public meeting the night before Fletcher spoke. Mayor Jim Hovland opened it by calling the metro problem a \u201cSomali youth gang-type problem,\u201d and told residents not to read that as a judgment on Somali families, according to the conservative Minnesota news site <a href=\"https:\/\/alphanews.org\/gunfire-in-eden-prairie-bloomington-follows-edina-gun-violence-community-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alpha News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Witt was in that room, along with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent and the police chiefs of Edina and Eden Prairie.<\/p>\n<p>Speakers got about three minutes.\u00a0 A school bus driver blamed Minneapolis \u201cspillover\u201d and said crime was \u201cbrought on by the sanctuary policies\u201d of Gov. Tim Walz, according to Alpha News.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">WATCH: Edina residents speak out amid recent Somali gang violence<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t go shopping at the Lunds to get shot at. I don\u2019t go to workout to get shot at. My two daughters that workout there have a rule now that when it comes to gym time, I\u2019m with them,\u201d said one resident who listed off some of the violent incidents in the city in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alpha News (@AlphaNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AlphaNews\/status\/2107525937319281069?\">October 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  After that meeting, Eden Prairie police confirmed gunfire at a Speedway convenience near the high school. No one was hurt, and four people were held. Sources told Alpha News that Somalis were involved.<\/p>\n<p>A predawn shooting Tuesday in Bloomington, also in Hennepin County, was tied to Somali gangs by sources who spoke to the same outlet. Alpha News also reported that Edina\u2019s police chief later said a shots-fired call on a church-and-school campus involved Somalis.<\/p>\n<p>Fletcher has used the figure of about 300 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbreak.com\/wcco-news-talk-830-560918\/4756756740210-ramsey-county-sheriff-bob-fletcher-says-the-twin-cities-has-an-issue-with-a-small-group-of-somali-gangs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">since summer<\/a>. The Star Tribune reported that he has come under fire from the leader of a local Islamic center who wants him to see \u201ccrime as crime,\u201d rather than a matter of ethnicity.<\/p>\n<p>Case wants state and local police, prosecutors, schools, social services, youth groups, and Somali leaders to join forces to crack down on crime. Fletcher said he wants Hennepin\u2019s sheriff and prosecutor to crack down with some arrests and prosecutions.<\/p>\n<p>Witt\u2019s reply was not encouraging.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Ramsey County sheriff urges a metro-wide crackdown on Somali gang violence in Twin Cities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2678234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bob-fletcher-for-Oct.-7-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[38565,86874,5698,5936,83378],"class_list":["post-2678233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-community-safety","tag-homecoming-cancellation","tag-minnesota","tag-sheriff","tag-somali-gang"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bob-fletcher-for-Oct.-7-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2678233"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2678236,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678233\/revisions\/2678236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2678234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2678233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2678233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2678233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}