University of Minnesota increasing police patrols as classes start following Dinkytown shooting
As tens of thousands of students prepare to start classes at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday, police at the Twin Cities campus are upping patrols.
The move comes following a shooting near campus in Minneapolis' Dinkytown district early Sunday that injured two people.
"The idea is that it's a noticeable amount [of officers]," University of Minnesota Police Chief Michael Davis said. "That when you go down to Dinkytown, you know that there's law enforcement presence there that's ready to respond to anything that could arise, and really try to be preventative in the space."
Davis said students should expect to see more officers, especially on weekends in the off-campus area. His department is partnered with Minneapolis police, who will also be more visible.
Minneapolis police officers were dispatched around 2:41 a.m. to the area of Fourth Street Southeast and 13th Avenue Southeast to assist university police. Police say "several disturbances" were happening near the intersection when officers heard gunfire.
Two men were found with suspected gunshot wounds and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Medical staff at the hospital say their injuries are not life-threatening.
Officers arrested a man at the scene of the shooting who had a handgun but did not have a permit to carry. Several other firearms were recovered from the scene, police say.
The police chief said the group of people near the shooting "was not affiliated with the University".
On Friday, officials said they arrested someone near the scene of the shooting after an assault with a deadly weapon.
In a letter to students, Davis shared resources like safety alerts, emergency notifications, free rides for students, Gopher Chauffeur and the off-campus safety center on 14th Avenue in Dinkytown.
Neha Chetty, a university sophomore, learned about the shooting through social media.
"I think it's just kind of worrying as a student here just because, you know, you just want to go to your classes," said Chetty.
Phoebe Poremba, a university senior, lives near the shooting and said Labor Day weekend just seems to bring in trouble. She remembers last year near the restaurant Frank and Andrea, when fireworks were launched in a large crowd.
"I believe we have conversations like this every Labor Day weekend," said Erin Brumm, a director with Campus Safety Coalition. "We can't keep having the same conversations four years in a row."
Brumm is calling for tougher consequences for troublemakers.
"We need much stiffer punishment. We need the Hennepin County attorney to try these cases and punish the people that are doing this," said Brumm. "We see the same people that are getting out the next morning and nothing changes. They're doing it again."
Chetty hopes for a quieter start to the school year.
"I don't feel worried when I'm going to classes or just walking around and hanging out with friends and stuff like that," Chetty said. "At night it gets a little bit worse, but not too bad, but after this I am certainly more worried and probably won't be out too much."
