Minneapolis, MN
Harris VP pick Tim Walz ‘failed to act’ as BLM rioters burned Minneapolis in 2020, state Senate panel found
Vice President Kamala Harris’ newly minted running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “failed to act” during May 2020 riots in Minneapolis that burned over 1,000 businesses and a police station to the ground, a scathing state Senate report showed.
The 60-year-old Democratic governor was accused by the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate’s Joint Transportation and Judiciary and Public Safety Committee of delaying the deployment of the National Guard, failing to coordinate with local police, downplaying the possibility of riots and allowing his adult daughter to access confidential information about law enforcement movements that put first responders at risk during the the four days of rioting that swept through the Twin Cities in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death in police custody.
The state Senate’s scathing postmortem, released in October 2020, determined that Walz “first mobilized the Minnesota National Guard on the afternoon of Thursday, May 28 … 18 hours after” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey first pleaded for assistance and the day after the city’s police chief gave Walz written notice that he needed at least 600 National Guardsmen to quell the riots.
“It was obvious to me that he froze under pressure, under a calamity, as people’s properties were being burned down,” Republican state Sen. Warren Limmer told the New York Times, suggesting that the governor’s “personal sympathies” toward the rioters may have been why he was slow to act.
When Walz did send in the guard, it was far less than what was needed and requested.
“The request was sent for at least 600 guardsmen at 9:11 p.m. Wednesday, May 27,” the Senate report states. “Governor Walz eventually produced 100 guardsmen for the City of Minneapolis late in the evening on Thursday, May 28.”
Amid the riots, the governor’s daughter, Hope, appears to have tried to tip off the arsonists and looters that the National Guard was going to be slow to respond.
“Could someone who actually has followers rely [sic] to the masses that have gotten ‘national guard’ trending that the guard WILL NOT be present tonight??” Hope, who was born in 2001, tweeted on May 28, 2020.
“The guard can not be sent in within minutes,” she wrote in a subsequent tweet, noting that “it takes time for them to deploy because they come from all over the state.”
“To be clear, the national guard will not be present tonight,” she added.
“Just because someone asked for something doesn’t mean it’s happening right away or even happening at all,” another May 28, 2020, tweet from Hope read, an apparent reference to local officials’ request for the National Guard.
“I don’t know about swat but what I do know is the guard will not be present arresting people tonight,” she continued.
The state Senate committee pointed to Hope’s tweets as evidence that Walz “allowed his adult daughter to access confidential information that she then disseminated to the general public and rioters.”
“This unnecessarily put police, Minnesota State Troopers, and the Minnesota National Guard in jeopardy,” the report said.
On the same night Walz’s daughter sent out those tweets, the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct police station was overrun by rioters and set ablaze.
“The commitment to hold the third [Precinct] was one I was not comfortable with,” Walz said during a press conference at the time when asked about the decision to evacuate the precinct rather than counter the rioters.
The investigation into Walz’s response also found that the governor “never reached out to Minneapolis Police Department to better understand the situation on the ground” and his administration was “not fully using the Minnesota State Patrol or the Minnesota National Guard’s aviation support” to track the movements of rioters.
Furthermore, Walz underestimated how hell-bent the mob was to burn the city down.
“The Commissioner of Public Safety admitted it was a fair criticism to say the state failed to see the criminal activity that was rapidly escalating and failed to see it was beyond the local’s capacity to handle,” the report states, noting that Walz’s administration expressed that it “ did not expect rioting” or “did not expect rioting to continue” between May 26 and May 29.
Walz, however, did acknowledge on the third night of rampant looting and arson, that the government’s response to the rioting was “an abject failure that cannot happen.”
“I simply believe that we try to do the best we can,” he told reporters recently when questioned about his response to the riots.
Meanwhile, Harris — just days after the Minneapolis police station was lit up — asked her Twitter followers on June 1, 2020, to assist in bailing rioters out of jail.
“If you’re able to, chip in now to the [Minnesota Freedom Fund] to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” the then-California senator wrote on X.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund’s mission statement says the group “pays criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot otherwise afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.”
The fund received more than $30 million in donations after the riots and Harris’ tweet.
Greg Lewin, the fund’s interim executive director at the time, told McClatchy in 2021 that Harris did not personally bail out rioters or have any other interaction with the group.
The vice president also went on a media tour in the aftermath of the riots voicing support for “defund the police” and redirecting resources from law enforcement.
“This whole movement is about rightly saying, we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities,” Harris said during a June 9, 2020, appearance on New York-based radio show “Ebro in the Morning,” according to CNN.
“Any progress we have gained has been because people took to the streets,” Harris added, signaling strong support for the rioters.
A man is now charged with murder after prosecutors say a robbery inside a Minneapolis apartment building ended in a fatal shooting.
Prosecutors say the man was on conditional release after being charged with first-degree armed carjacking for an incident in Minneapolis last September.
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The killing happened Feb. 24 inside the Abbott Apartments lounge area on the 100 block of East 18th Street, where police found an adult man dead from gunshot wounds after reports of a shooting.
Court documents state the victim and a friend went to the building to meet 20-year-old Abdirahman Khayre Khayre. A witness stated Khayre left the room several times and appeared to be stalling before three armed men entered and demanded property. The men were described as carrying two Glock-style handguns with extended magazines and an AR-style rifle. During the robbery, the suspects demanded a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to the victim. When the victim resisted, a struggle broke out. The witness stated that two guns were taken from him during the robbery.
The witness told investigators Khayre was handed one of the stolen guns and then pointed it at him, causing him to flee into the lobby. Moments later, multiple gunshots were heard. The witness returned and found the victim shot. Surveillance footage from other areas of the building reportedly corroborated key parts of the account, and the witness later identified Khayre in a photo lineup, according to the complaint.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Shot and Killed Inside Minneapolis Apartment Building
Authorities say Khayre was on conditional release at the time of the killing in a separate Hennepin County case involving a September 2025 armed carjacking.
READ MORE > Minneapolis coverage
In that earlier case, prosecutors alleged Khayre and others confronted a woman in a garage near 19th Street and Nicollet Avenue, pointed handguns at her and forced her to give up the keys to a Dodge Challenger before fleeing in the stolen vehicle. Officers later located the vehicle and arrested multiple suspects, including Khayre, who was identified as the driver.
Court records show Khayre posted a $75,000 non-cash bond and was released under conditions requiring him to remain law-abiding, have no possession of firearms or ammunition, avoid alcohol and controlled substances and complete treatment.
Khayre is now charged with second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony and first-degree aggravated robbery. He made an initial court appearance Friday, where a judge set bail at $1 million. If convicted of second-degree felony murder, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The homicide investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the victim. Anyone with information is asked to contact Minneapolis police by emailing policetips@minneapolismn.gov or calling 612-673-5845. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online. Information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
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Minneapolis, MN
Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say
Minneapolis police are investigating a homicide on Feb. 24, 2026. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A man is dead after a witness said he refused to give up a Louis Vuitton bag while being robbed by multiple men at gunpoint.
Abdirahman Khayre Khayre, 20, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery for the incident that happened on the evening of Feb. 24 in Minneapolis.
READ MORE: Man fatally shot in south Minneapolis apartment building
Fatal Minneapolis shooting after robbery
The set-up:
Minneapolis police responded around 10:42 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Abbott Apartments, located on the 100 block of East 18th Street in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Officers then found a dead man in the lobby who had been shot multiple times.
A witness to the shooting said he and the victim arrived at the apartments to “hang out” with Khayre, according to the criminal complaint.
The witness said he became suspicious when Khayre he left the room multiple times and “appeared to be stalling.”
The robbery:
The complaint states the witness reported three men then came into the room and yelled “Give me everything.” The men were armed with Glock handguns that had extended magazines as well as an AR-style rifle.
They then stole two guns from the witness, and one of them was handed to Khayre.
When the men demanded a Louis Vuitton bag from the victim, he refused, leading to a fight between them all.
The shooting:
The witness said when he walked toward them, Khayre pointed the witness’ stolen gun at him and racked it.
The witness then got out of the room, ran toward the lobby and heard multiple gunshots. He then saw two of the men flee out the back of the building, but didn’t see what direction they went in.
The victim was then found dead.
The aftermath:
Khayre was then identified by the witness in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint.
Police say video footage corroborated much of what the witness reported.
Khayre was on conditional release for a suspected carjacking at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County and previous FOX 9 reporting.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The local Iranian community in Minnesota is expressing mixed emotions following the recent joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran.
Local reactions to the strike
What we know:
The strike resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to President Donald Trump and Iranian state media. Many Iranians in Minnesota feel this could lead to freedom for their country.
Nazanin Naferipoor shared that her sister in Iran was initially happy about the strike, believing it might bring about freedom. However, communication has been cut off since the strike began, leaving many worried about their loved ones.
The other side:
Hamid Kashani from the Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran expressed mixed feelings about the strike. While he hopes for change, he is concerned about the potential loss of innocent lives.
Fazy Kowsari emphasized that the attack targeted the government, not the religion, and criticized the political motivations behind the strike.
Upcoming rally at Nicollet Mall
Why you should care:
A rally is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street. Organizers view the U.S. strike as a rescue operation for Iranians held hostage by the regime, rather than an act of war.
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