MINNEAPOLIS — Officials are investigating after four kids under the age of 15 were shot in a stolen car in Minneapolis early on Sunday morning.
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, officers got multiple ShotSpotter activations just after 1 a.m. Sunday in the area of West Broadway and Girard. O'Hara said the ShotSpotters came from two different locations several blocks apart.
At the same time, emergency dispatchers took a 911 call from the 1400 block of Plymouth Avenue North reporting a vehicle with multiple people inside with gunshot injuries. Police found five minors in the car, four of them with gunshot wounds. O'Hara said two boys and two girls had been shot.
Police said the four injured kids were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and the fifth minor was taken into police custody as the vehicle was stolen.
Preliminary information, according to O'Hara, shows the five kids were driving in a stolen Kia in the area around Minneapolis' Jordan neighborhood when a dark-colored sedan started to follow them, firing automatic weapons.
O'Hara said around 30 shell casings were recovered from the scene and suspects even more shots could have been fired.
Officials said the injured kids were between the ages of 11 and 14. Three of them, both boys and one of the girls, had non-life-threatening injuries.
The second girl was shot in the head, O'Hara said. She was in critical but stable condition on Sunday morning.
"This is a tremendous problem we've been having over the last two years that I've been here," O'Hara said. "Juveniles involved in joyriding in stolen cars and then becoming involved in more and more serious crime."
O'Hara noted the theft of Kia's and Hyundai's is down by about a quarter and this summer. He also said the two types of vehicles accounted for less than half of all vehicles stolen in Minneapolis. He told KARE 11 that police have seen a slight uptick in Kia and Hyundai thefts in August.
"What's most notable over the course of the year is while there are fewer of these cars being stolen, the activity that these juveniles are involved with has become more and more brazen," said O'Hara.
He cited more robberies, more aggravated assaults, more hit-and-runs, and more serious crimes "more frequently" committed by people involved with the theft of these vehicles.
O'Hara said it was "very concerning."
Two of the kids in the car were arrested earlier this month in another stolen car, O'Hara said.
"We are failing to deter this behavior and with that being said, we are failing these kids as well," he said.
"When our needs aren't met, we express things in ways, said Pethuel LeFlore, the executive director at the Oasis of Love Crisis Intervention Center.
The intervention center has been around for over 30 years, but LeFlore started the youth violence intervention program three years ago.
LeFlore and her team work with children between the ages of 9-18 to help circumvent violence and intervene where trauma, violence, and unhealthy behaviors have taken place.
“We really are trying to provide and promote healthy outlets in a place where they can be heard and seen," LeFlore said.
She said they have curriculum to end kids relationship with violence. They also give kids and teenagers an outlet to talk about their trauma, talk about their fears, and the mistreatment they receive. She said it's important to keep kids busy and provide them with the necessary resources to keep them out of trouble.
“They’ve become desensitized to crime, to not having enough, to suffering. If we can bring them back to a place of reality and humanity and say ‘we hear you, we see you, we accept you, and we want to still support and help you’ then we open the door to children who are ashamed and embarrassed to share that they need help and support." she said.
LeFlore said they provide creative outlets for kids to get their stress out through mindful movement, cosmetology, and learning how to DJ. They also provide mentorship with business owners, counseling services, transportation support, and provide workshop and leadership opportunities.
"They’re our future. We have to begin to pour into them together," LeFlore said.
She said it's crucial for adults to be patient with young people because change doesn't happen overnight and to adjust with them.
“It’s going to take process for progress," she said.
LeFlore said youth violence is a problem that will take several entities to solve such as, churches, schools, government agencies, law enforcement, mental health groups, health clinics, and legislators to enact policy change.
“So, it is going to take a lot of work from all of us," she said.
LeFlore said they'll be hosting an awareness walk in October to empower survivors of domestic violence, bullying, and breast cancer.
She said they're organization is always looking for move volunteers and interns who are passionate about young people and wanting a better life for them.