Minneapolis sees decrease in shootings, homicides in early 2025
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Minneapolis city leaders say there’s been a “promising decline” in gun violence during the first three months of 2025.
According to police data, there were 49 shootings in the city from Jan. 1 to March 31. That’s down from 70 shootings during the same time period last year and a peak of 114 shootings in the first three months of 2022.
The last time Minneapolis experienced so few shootings in the first three months of the year was in 2020 when 43 people were injured or killed by gunfire.
“It's a tremendous accomplishment, considering the police department remains hundreds of officers below what had been normal prior to the pandemic, and obviously our officers are dealing with much higher caseloads than what had been typical prior to the pandemic,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
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In addition, only six deaths in the city were ruled a homicide in the first three months of this year. In 2024, there were 13 homicides in January, February and March.
O’Hara says the city’s police department has seen success in focusing law enforcement in areas with increased crime, especially in north Minneapolis. They’ve also closed multiple homeless encampments on the city’s south side and started doing outreach to address juvenile street crimes, like stealing cars.
“You need to have a police department, otherwise the people who are most vulnerable in our communities will pay the price, particularly with their lives. So, I think the vast majority of the world has come to understand that we cannot abolish the police, that police are absolutely essential in achieving public safety,” O’Hara said.
While police have worked on reducing gun violence in Minneapolis, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says a comprehensive public safety approach that includes social workers and mental health responders has also made an impact.
“The fact that we have not had a homicide since Feb. 15, and that hasn't happened since 2017, suggests that the work that we are doing and the progress that we are making is clearly having an impact,” Frey said.
However, the city’s police force has shrunk in the past few years and recruitment remains a challenge. Frey says 2024 was the first year the city saw a 133 percent increase in applications to become a police officer, many of whom are young people and community safety officers.
“We still have fewer officers per capita than any major city that I’m aware of,” Frey added. “So bringing these officers on at a time when many other departments around the state and around the country are also looking to add officers is no small task,” he said.
While O’Hara calls police staffing a “fragile situation,” Frey is hopeful about increased interest in applications.