After shooting of 4 kids, police chief, county attorney's office trade blame

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police chief and Hennepin County Attorney's Office are pointing fingers at each other after four children were shot in a stolen vehicle on the city's north side over the weekend.

Two boys and two girls between 11 and 14 years old were shot and one of the girls is in critical condition, police said.

Chief Brian O'Hara said early Sunday "the police are doing everything that we can in response to this," but there needs to be tougher consequences for youth who commit crimes with stolen cars. He said two of the children involved were arrested less than two weeks ago.

"We are failing to deter this behavior," he said. "With that being said, we are failing these kids as well."

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office, headed by Mary Moriarty, said tough consequences can't be the only solution.

"None of the children ... who were shot while riding in a stolen car over the weekend had been referred to our office by law enforcement for youth auto theft early intervention," the county attorney's office said in a statement. "We encourage MPD to collaborate with us to ensure that youth can have access to early and effective interventions. "

At a news conference Monday, O'Hara strongly disagreed with the office's assessment.

"Our juvenile investigators referred two cases to the county attorney's office involving two of the individuals for felony charges on Aug. 9," O'Hara said. "The kids weren't charged, they weren't diverted and despite pleas from their parents begging for help, begging for them to be detained, they were let back out into the street, into the same environment to commit more crimes, which they did over the weekend."

WCCO has reached out to the county attorney's office for comment.

The Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association also responded to the county attorney's office.

"We hope that the Hennepin County Attorney will work with law enforcement to hold criminals accountable, get youth the interventions they need, and work to prevent recidivism," the group said. "Pointing fingers is unproductive and a disservice to our young people, our communities, and those who rightfully expect us to work together to solve these problems and prioritize the safety and well-being of our citizens."

Police said they arrested a fifth minor who was in the stolen vehicle, but have not made any arrests in connection with the shooting. O'Hara said police suspect the shooters were also juveniles.

The mother of one of the boys who was shot said he was hit near his spine and still can't feel his legs.

Intervention program prompts previous spat

This isn't the first time Moriarty's office and O'Hara have butted heads over youth crime.

In March, the attorney's office laid out its plan for a new youth diversion program , the goal of which is to connect children to resources that serve as intervention before things get out of control.

During that announcement, Moriarty said said 88% of youth involved in auto theft who are referred for resources do not re-offend. She also said out of the 7,856 auto theft cases, only 2.3% were cleared, meaning the Minneapolis Police Department only submitted a small percentage of young people involved in auto theft to the county attorney for charging.

In response, O'Hara accused the county attorney of pointing fingers at his department.

"Any implication that the Minneapolis cops are not doing everything they can to try and solve that problem, not partnering with people to try and address it, is just not true and it's a slap in the face to the cops that are out there every single day putting their lives on the line to try and resolve this problem," O'Hara said.

Community members call for change

Meanwhile, leaders of the Agape Movement, based in south Minneapolis, are frustrated with the cycle of youth crime and calling for unity in response to it.

"It takes a village to stop the killings and the village is everyone," communications director Bridgette Stewart said.

The group hosts frequent activities for kids in Minneapolis to engage in so group leaders can start building relationships and trust.

"Everyone plays a part," Stewart said. "These children belong to everyone, and the moment they step outside of their house, they become our children and we all have to have a vested interest in our youth."