It's been a deadly handful of days in Minneapolis after having gone through a long period of relative peace when it comes to gun violence in the city.
Monday night, a 14-year old boy was shot and killed downtown near the Federal Reserve Bank and the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
Former United States Attorney for Minnesota, Andrew Luger, spoke about the recent violence with WCCO's Chad Hartman. Luger actually started a campaign three years ago to address the issue of violent crime in the city, drastically dropping the number of carjackings and using RICO statutes to go after gang members with dozens of arrests and prosecutions.
"In a number of respects, we're much, much better than we were when I started. In other respects, we got a ways to go," he told Hartman on Tuesday.
Luger, who served two separate terms as U.S. Attorney, stepped down in January. He says the effort to decrease violent crime has involved a lot of collaboration with the county attorney office, local sheriff's officers and other federal agencies like the FBI and ATF - and there have been indications of progress
"In certain neighborhoods in the north side and the south side, where gangs were quite prevalent, those numbers have dropped dramatically, down to pre-COVID levels," Luger said.
But as evidenced by the shooting of five people in south Minneapolis last week associated with the Native Mob gang, there is still work to do, too many guns on the street and not enough law enforcement.
"That's a sign, one, we still don't have enough police," Luger explains. "We still don't have enough law enforcement on the streets, and we've got a ways to go."
Luger says that particular gang was known to his office.
"That's a gang, a statewide gang, that's been around for a long time, actually addressed maybe 15 years ago by some of my predecessors," explained Luger. "If they're peeking their head out, then you gotta do that again. You gotta take them on in the same way we did the Highs and Lows (gangs)."
Lugers thoughts on gun violence are similar to those shared by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, also saying on WCCO Radio Tuesday with Adam and Jordana that the guns in the hands of young people continues to be an issue, referencing the 14-year old shot on Monday night.
"There has been a very, very large exponential increase in the amount of firearms in circulation post 2020. It's just a fact," O'Hara said.
Hennepin County's Attorney, Mary Moriarty, has also come under fire for not being tough enough when prosecuting crime in the city - and drawing criticism of O'Hara as well. Luger was faster to defend Moriarty, saying she's doing what she was elected to do by the voters and adding she deserves credit for standing by her promise to reform criminal justice.
"What I try to explain to people is, yes, it's good to have aggressive prosecutors," Luger said. "It's good to have a lot of law enforcement. The number one key to doing what we did and what others are doing is collaboration."
Luger says the question on whether or not what Moriarty does is right is up to the voters.
"If you feel strongly this is not the direction you want, then you have a moment in the election to make your voice heard, and to support a candidate that goes in a different way," Luger told Hartman. "But none of this is a surprise. This is exactly what she said she would do."
When it comes to his successor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota, a successor that has yet to be named with Lisa Kirkpatrick still serving as the interim U.S. Attorney, Luger thinks they have the tools in place to continue the work he started. That is especially true of attacking gang violence using RICO - Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act - typically associated with battling the mob but as Luger proved, very effective taking on gangs too.
"Now that that knowledge is in place, my successor and people in law enforcement can, if they choose to do so, take that knowledge and apply it to whoever's coming up next," he says.