Arrests made in Mpls. weekend violence; chief appeals to community for help

Two 24-year-old men are in custody in connection with two separate weekend shooting deaths in north Minneapolis.

The killings were part of a violent weekend in the city, which also included a pair of stabbings. Minneapolis police and city officials gathered Tuesday on the city's North Side to assure residents that police are taking the problem seriously and to ask for help from community members to help stop the violence.

• More: 2 killed, 3 injured in separate north Mpls. shootings

City Council President Barb Johnson, who represents part of north Minneapolis, says one problem is that people convicted of committing gun crimes too often get probation instead of prison sentences.

"Please, please call Hennepin County judges and tell them it's not acceptable to give somebody time — stayed time — when they are arrested with a gun in our community," she said. "These people who are doing the shooting are well known in the criminal justice system. Hold them accountable."

One of the men arrested on murder charges was on probation for a 2013 conviction for carrying a gun without a permit.

Minneapolis Police chief Janeé Harteau walked along West Broadway Avenue in north Minneapolis Tuesday, talking to residents about what the department is doing to reduce violence in their neighborhoods. But Harteau says there's only so much police can do, and she asked for more cooperation from the community.

"People in this neighborhood know exactly who commits the crimes. They know when they're going to happen. And we need to have that conversation, before it happens," she said. "People need to feel empowered. I don't want to over-police. I want to over-protect."

Shooting and "shots fired" calls for service in north Minneapolis are up by more than a third so far this year compared to last year, she said.