Despite Dinkytown double murder, safety leader says progress being made at U
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police continue to investigate a deadly shooting near the University of Minnesota.
It happened early Sunday inside the Royal Cigar and Tobacco shop in Dinkytown, where a fight inside quickly escalated when a gun was pulled.
Two 24-year-old Minneapolis men, Bryson Haskell and Jamartre Sanders, died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
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The owner says those involved were not regular customers. He told WCCO one of his employees tried to stop the fight. One employee was cut by glass and is expected to recover.
Richard Painter is a board member of Campus Safety Coalition, an independent nonprofit organization hoping to bring safety to the U and surrounding areas.
"We have made progress, and it's very tragic to see an incident such as this," Painter said. "The parents of students at the University of Minnesota are concerned. We're one of the few urban campuses in the Big Ten universities, the public universities in particular in the Midwest. We have an urban campus and we do have a crime issue."
Painter believes the new administration has brought about more collaboration with law enforcement and parent and community groups to keep the area safe.
"Our administration at the University of Minnesota under Jeff Ettinger is confronting it. We're working with the administration, we hope to work with the governor and legislature once again to bring in more police officers, better policing and also business development in the Dinkytown area," he said.
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Royal Cigar's owner told WCCO he agrees that more needs to be done to develop a more vibrant Dinkytown area that includes increased patrols by police.
If you have any information about this deadly shooting, Minneapolis police would like to speak with you.
NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Oct. 3, 2023.