Somali Gang Task Force Needed After Homecoming Shooting, Eden Prairie Mayor Says

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN — Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case is calling for a dedicated regional task force to address gang activity among East African youth after Friday's shooting outside Eden Prairie High School's homecoming football game.

Police believe the shooting is connected to Somali gang activity, Case said in a message posted Monday on the city's Facebook page. In a written statement Saturday, police described the shooting as gang-related.

Related: Ramsey Co. Sheriff Warns Of 12 Somali Gangs, MPLS Council Member Accuses Him Of Stoking 'Racial Resentment'

Case said the shooting is especially concerning because it follows other recent gang-related violence involving East African youth in neighboring communities.

The task force Case proposed would bring together state, county and local law enforcement, prosecutors, schools, social services, youth organizations and Somali community leaders.

He said its work should include holding those who commit violent crimes accountable and finding ways to keep young people from joining gangs in the first place.

"Public safety has a role, but enforcement alone will not solve this problem," Case wrote.

Case said regional law enforcement agencies are already working together on gang violence and on the investigation into Friday's shooting, but that the growing scope of the problem calls for more urgency.

He also said the city and Eden Prairie Schools are reviewing security at large school events, including high school football games, to look for ways to strengthen safety measures.

Case said he spent time in the incident command center Friday night and praised the response from first responders, school leaders and people at the game who helped keep others safe.

"Gang violence must be confronted, but the actions of those involved should not define the broader Somali community," Case also wrote. He said he stands with Somali Americans who live in Eden Prairie and thanked Somali leaders who he said are speaking openly about the issue and calling for action within their community.

Friday's shooting

Two people were shot Friday in a parking lot on the north side of the high school during the homecoming game against Minnetonka.

The stadium was evacuated.

Police said the two, ages 18 and 17, are Somali males from St. Paul who are known to law enforcement. No arrests have been made in that case.

Hours after Case's message, four people were detained after shots were fired at the Speedway gas station on West 78th Street on Monday night, police said. No one was injured. Police have not said whether that incident is connected to Friday's shooting.