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Ian Alexander leaped out of bed at 3:55 a.m. Sunday, awakened by the sound of gunfire.

"I jumped to the window, probably not the smartest thing to do when you hear gunshots," said Alexander, a 36-year-old attorney running for the Ward 5 city council seat being vacated by mayoral candidate Don Samuels.

Alexander saw an SUV drive off, and he found shell casings in the street.

As far as Alexander can tell, the bullets were fired into the air and did no damage. He doesn't think he was targeted, although he deals with emotionally charged cases in his law practice, including child custody matters.

Whether the act was random or not, he's understandably unnerved.

"And it's even more disturbing when you go door-knocking and you hear stories like this about every other block," Alexander said.

If he's elected to the council, Alexander promises to push for economic development in North Minneapolis -- "Nothing stops a bullet like a job." He also says the city needs more security cameras.

Ironically, Alexander is in the process of installing cameras on his own house, but they aren't operating, yet. He ordered them after witnessing a series of fights on the lawn of North High School, which he can see from his front window.

It's also not the first time Alexander has heard shots fired. He counts five incidents since he bought the house two years ago.

Minnesota News

The Cities Blog

Curtis Gilbert

Author

Ian Alexander leaped out of bed at 3:55 a.m. Sunday, awakened by the sound of gunfire. “I jumped to the window, probably not the smartest thing to do when you hear gunshots,” said Alexander, a 36-year-old attorney running for the Ward 5 city council seat being vacated by mayoral candidate Don Samuels. Alexander saw an…

Crime hits close to home for Mpls. City Council candidate

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