1 taken into custody for allegedly firing rifle outside Brooklyn Park home
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn — It's been a busy week for Brooklyn Park police. On Monday, a man shot and killed an apartment building manager, and Thursday night they responded to a man shooting an automatic rifle in a neighborhood.
"Gun violence and the things we've seen in the city lately have been really disturbing and even across the country," said Yolanda Pope.
Pope has lived on the 9000 block of Idaho Avenue for 30 years. On Thursday night a man fired an automatic rifle into the air in the middle of the street, close to her home. A State Patrol helicopter was called to help, and the shooter was still firing the gun when officers arrived.
"A handgun is one thing, but who needs that much firepower. That's a really big concern for us here," said Pope.
Thankfully no one was hurt and the man was taken into custody. But Brooklyn Park police say calls like this have become a disturbing trend.
"It's happening at a frightening pace. I can tell you when I first started my career 16 years ago, this kind of thing did not happen," said Elliot Faust, Brooklyn Park police.
Faust believes mental health and easy access to guns are the two main problems. In particular, he said not enough is being done about ghost guns.
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"That loophole hasn't closed. You can go online and order a gun and have it shipped to your house," said Faust.
Faust is calling on lawmakers and state leaders to create laws that make a difference. And he's also calling on prosecutors and judges to hold criminals accountable for their crimes.
In light of what happened in Burnsville last weekend, Faust says officers are putting their own lives on the line more than ever, to help keep their communities safe.
"Am I going to get to see them when I'm done with this shift? That's never a guarantee. And number two, if I'm called to this situation and I have to defend myself so I can go see my family tomorrow or tonight, am I going to get put in prison? That's what's on their mind," said Faust.
Faust said the apartment manager who was killed on Monday in Brooklyn Park was shot 18 times with an automatic rifle. He says lawmakers can help guns out of the hands of felons.
