The number of homicides in Minneapolis at 51 for the year so far. That number recently grew after a shooting Halloween night in Dinkytown and it involved juveniles.
And it is far from the first crimes in the City of Minneapolis involving young people. That includes breaking of car windows, carjackings and more.
Police Chief Brian O'Hara offered up some insight into the challenges the MPD faces dealing with the growing number of young, suburban perpetrators.
Speaking to WCCO's Susie Jones Tuesday, O'Hara says no one has been arrested yet in the shooting on Halloween night that killed one and injured two others.
O'Hara says one of the biggest challenges comes from the fact that those involved are not from the city.
"They aren't the poor kids from Minneapolis that are our residents, these are kids coming down in mommy's Mercedes-Benz to Dinkytown, and they don't know where they are," O'Hara explained.
He says they armed - and often ready for a fight.
"The victim that was murdered was a juvenile. He was carrying a gun. He was from out of town," says O'Hara. "Another victim that was involved there, also out of town. And, you know, three guns recovered just from that scene."
According to O'Hara, those circumstances make the investigation more challenging.
"Groups of kids, groups of East African kids that are coming from surrounding communities and not just one community, kind of all over the place," O'Hara told WCCO. "You know, we've seen both kids that come into like Dinkytown and some of these places that are bars. That are just not old enough to be out hanging out with the other kids."
He says the community came together in the aftermath of increased violence over recent 4th of July holiday, with religious leaders stepping in. But, he adds, more needs to be done to address the problem beyond just typical policing in Minneapolis, where they are already significantly shorthanded.
The assumption that it is gang-related activity is not necessarily wrong, says the chief - but it's more than that.
"I do think that there is some gang activity that's connected. It is largely outside of Minneapolis that it's happening," he explains. "These groups, and I do say groups and not gangs, because it seems very, very loose, it doesn't seem like structured gang activity. These groups have teenagers in them oftentimes that are straddling that age, whether they're late teens and adults. Or, you know, juveniles involved."
The city, and Hennepin County, have struggled to deal with juveniles that commit these violent crimes even after they are caught. Many end up with a slap on the wrist, and are right back to the same lifestyle.
O'Hara told WCCO a year ago that without accountability in the judicial system, holding these kids accountable may be difficult moving forward in Minneapolis. That is a problem that didn't go away.
He's not alone in that view. Retired Hennepin County Chief Judge Kevin Burke, speaking to WCCO's Chad Hartman, said the problem starts at home but says it is time for Hennepin County and the State Legislature to start putting resources into dealing with juvenile crime.
"The core would be, at least in our county, Hennepin, the Hennepin County Board is going to have to speak up," Burke explains. "But it is a bigger problem than just Hennepin. And so I think that at the state legislature, when it convenes in January, is going to have to seriously look at investing money in improving how we deal with children."