Black Males Murdered In Minneapolis: Drugs, Gangs or Personal Vendettas

Twin Cities: Young black men bear brunt of murder rate in Minneapolis

The killing fields of urban America continue to be stained with the blood and bullet-riddled bodies of mostly young black men. That bleak landscape also applies to the state's largest city this year.

Twenty-four of the 32 people slain in Minneapolis so far this year were 30 or younger, according to statistics compiled by the city's homicide squad. Nearly a quarter were in their teens. All but three were males, and 22 were African-American. More than half the slayings took place in North Minneapolis, which has become a killing zone in recent years.

All but nine of the victims were shot with handguns.

The breakdown of suspects in cases where an arrest was made is strikingly similar. Of the 16 cases "cleared" by homicide detectives so far, 12 of the suspects were African-American, and their ages mirror that of their victims — 30 or younger.

The homicide rate so far — 32 — is 13 more than the 19 homicides logged last year in Minneapolis. But last year's low rate may be as much of an aberration as 1995, when the city logged a record 97 homicides.

In fact, the pace this year may turn out to be about average. Excluding 1995 and last year, the average homicide rate in Minneapolis between 1996 and 2008 is roughly 53.

Most slayings in recent years involve drugs, gangs or personal vendettas settled by young men with access to firearms.

"The only way we as a unit can prevent homicides is by catching the guy that did this one, so he
doesn't do any more murders," said Lt. Richard Zimmerman, the Minneapolis police homicide squad commander. "It's also to give the victims justice and to put these guys away."