Minneapolis, MN
Former Minneapolis department head speaks out over billing issues with violence interrupter program
Luana Nelson-Brown told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she resigned as the director of the city’s Neighborhood Safety Department (NSD) last month after getting “pushback” and “pressure” from several city council members over her attempts to strengthen and improve the bidding process and financial oversight of violence interrupter contracts.
“I could not take the pressure and pushback anymore. The humiliation and harassment on the dais, in public, was just unnecessary,” said Nelson-Brown.
Nelson-Brown was hired by the city to run NSD in July 2023.
She told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she stopped payments to some violence interrupter groups in early 2024 when they could not provide proper documentation and records showing the work they had completed, which involved using millions of taxpayer dollars.
“This is just wrong for the taxpayers. The taxpayers should know how their money’s being spent, whether or not it’s a good investment, and we should all be working together,” said Nelson-Brown. “And that comes with receipts and canceled checks. These came with no documentation at all. So, it was just a piece of paper with an amount and pay me, basically, which is not okay.”
Nelson-Brown said shortly after she stopped payments for lack of receipts and data, City Council Member Robin Wonsley started to push back on her decision.
“As she started to send letters [to] the mayor and to the commissioner I reported to and challenged me on the dais among various things,” said Nelson-Brown.
Then, in early 2025, after the city strengthened its requirements for receiving the violence interrupter contracts, Nelson-Brown said some of the violence interrupter groups were notified they were not getting contracts this year, and that’s when she said pressure from Wonsley resurfaced.
“Council Member Wonsley came with this resolution to move the money to Hennepin County to have Hennepin County deliver the services which does nothing but circumvent the entire RFP (request for proposal) process,” said Nelson-Brown.
Wonsley declined to comment on Nelson-Brown’s statements. But, in a news release, Wonsley said she wants to transfer $1.2 million in Gang Violence Initiative dollars from the city to Hennepin County.
Wonsley claims there have been long-lasting concerns over mismanagement of the Neighborhood Safety Department. She also argued that moving the money and programs to the county would ensure that “crucial public safety services are deployed effectively.”
Commissioner of the Office of Public Safety, Todd Barnette, issued the following statement:
“When I was appointed Commissioner of Community Safety, my task was clear: to build a new approach to community safety in Minneapolis. And that is exactly what we are doing. I am proud of the progress we’ve made in NSD under my tenure and that of Director Nelson-Brown.
We have been working diligently to establish consistent accountability processes in our violence prevention work and build out the comprehensive safety system our residents are asking for.
We are focused on this work, and this is a priority for us and for the community. Minneapolis deserves better and are delivering change. That is what the Mayor has asked us to do. This change needed to be made to ensure sustainability, accountability, and transparency in the work we do.
Unfortunately, several City Council members choose to only support those efforts when it benefits their favorite non-profits. This selective and self-serving approach not only hampers the integrity of our work, but also undermines the important progress being made by the Neighborhood Safety Department.
My focus to build a sustainable community safety ecosystem has not wavered. The mayor’s commitment and support to this work is stronger than ever. The people of Minneapolis have high expectation for this work, and we will not be distracted by politics or personal agendas.”
Minneapolis, MN
Man dead, 2 others hurt in overnight shooting in Minneapolis
Police say two people were hurt and one other man died.
A homicide investigation is underway in Minneapolis after a shooting early Friday morning killed one man and hurt two others.
Minneapolis police were called to the area of East Franklin Avenue and Chicago Avenue at around 12:30 a.m.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS cameras caught more than 65 evidence markers scattered across the ground in the area and shattered glass at a bus shelter. Some nearby businesses also appeared to have some damage.
Minneapolis police are still working to determine what led up to the shooting and who was involved but investigators say first responders found the three men suffering from gunshot wounds.
One injured man is in his 40s, the other in his 50s, police say. Both were taken to a hospital by ambulance.
The third man died at the scene. His name and age haven’t yet been publicly released.
Police say early information suggests the men were on a sidewalk when at least one person opened fire, then fled in a vehicle.
So far, no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call police at 612-673-5845 to leave a voicemail or email policetips@minneapolismn.gov.
“This is a tragic and deeply disturbing act of violence that has taken a life, and left others seriously injured,” MPD Chief Brian O’Hara said. “This kind of violence is unacceptable, and we are committed to identifying those responsible and holding them accountable.”
Minneapolis police investigating alleyway shooting near East Franklin Avenue
It comes less than 30 hours after another serious shooting along East Franklin Avenue, just a half-mile west of Friday’s scene. That incident left a man hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening gunshot wound. No arrests have been announced in that case either.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is still working to learn more about this shooting. Stay with KSTP-TV for the latest updates on air and on the KSTP app.
Minneapolis, MN
A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongside Alex Pretti in January was among a group of potential litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring the enforcement surge in Minnesota.
Georgia Savageford, who introduced herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer’s vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.
“That day has changed me forever,” she said. “The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same.”
Savageford said she had been legally observing the actions of federal officers in Minneapolis ever since the shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. She said she was doing so again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an agent pushed her twice and caused her to fall.
“As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face-down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage,” she recounted.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the killings.
Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone.
She said the officers put her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw agents shoot and kill Pretti on the other side of the street.
“At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine,” she said.
She added that they told her to shut up and to stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE holding facility where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without ready access to food, water or the bathroom until she was released without being charged.
“I did not know him, but I knew he had my back,” she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”
Savageford shared her story at a news conference where civil rights attorney John Burris, of Oakland, California, and other lawyers laid out how they’re paving the way for potential class-action lawsuits over alleged excessive force used against protesters and monitors.
Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped win an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped win a civil jury verdict of $3.8 million for the late motorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.
He said he and his colleagues have filed complaints with federal agencies involved in the Minnesota enforcement surge on behalf of 10 people, including Savageford, as the first step in a process that’s likely to lead to a larger class-action lawsuit.
“We have many others that are under investigation that have not completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start this process now. Put the government on notice that we’re here,” Burris said.
Minneapolis, MN
Boy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
WASHINGTON (TNND) — A fifth grader from Minneapolis received the Citizen Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Victor Greenawalt jumped in front of his friend during a mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
Weston Halsne told local station KARE 11 that Greenawalt saved his life.
“It was really scary,” Halsne told KARE 11. “My friend Victor, like, saved me, though. Because he laid on top of me. But he got hit.”
Two students were killed and several were injured after a shooter opened fire through the windows of the church last year. The shooter died on the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Congressional Medal Society said in a statement that Greenawalt showed “extraordinary bravery far beyond his years.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 3: Flowers line a pathway to Annunciation Catholic Church as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance visit to pay their respects to victims of the shooting there on September 3, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The shooting left two students dead and many more wounded. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski-Pool/Getty Images)
“Instinctively, Victor protected a classmate with his own body, directly saving their life during the attack,” the society said in a written statement. “His courage and selflessness became a powerful symbol of hope and humanity for a community in crisis.”
Greenawalt was hospitalized following the shooting, according to a verified GoFundMe page. His sister was also injured.
He flew to Washington with his family on Wednesday to accept the award.
Greeenawalt met with Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., while on Capitol Hill. The ceremony also included a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery.
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He received the Young Hero award, which honors individuals age 17 or younger for their courage.
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