Minneapolis, MN
'Defund the police' mecca of Minneapolis overrun with violence, ‘failed leadership': former AG candidate
A string of shootings in Minneapolis last week left six victims dead and five others injured in just 24 hours, highlighting “the results” of “years of anti-police rhetoric and failed leadership,” 2022 Minnesota attorney general Republican nominee Jim Schultz told Fox News Digital.
Minneapolis authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of James Ortley, an alleged 34-year-old gang member, in connection with an April 29 mass shooting that left four dead and two injured.
The April 29 incident was the first of six shootings in 24 hours that left a total of six people dead and five others injured, police said, adding that investigators are determining if some of the shootings are connected.
“Minneapolis, sadly, is experiencing the tragic consequences of years of anti-police rhetoric and failed leadership from the Minneapolis State Council and the lunatic county prosecutor of Hennepin County in which Minneapolis sits,” said Schultz, a father of four and president of the Minnesota Private Business Council. “When city officials demonize law enforcement and slash police budgets and refuse to prosecute the criminals, the results are bought on the streets.”
DOJ OPENS PROBE AFTER LEFT-WING DA REQUIRES PROSECUTORS TO CONSIDER RACE IN PLEA DEALS
Minneapolis authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of James Ortley, an alleged gang member, in connection with a mass shooting that left four dead and two injured. (Minneapolis Police)
Particularly, after George Floyd’s murder by police in 2020, Minneapolis became “ground zero” for the “defund the police” movement, Schultz noted, adding that public sentiment toward police and officer retention hasn’t been the same since.
Protesters demonstrate outside a burning fast-food restaurant in Minneapolis on May 29, 2020, amid protests over the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
“Years later, police staffing is still down,” he said. “We still have half the police officers that we need. Morale is shattered and criminals feel emboldened because, originating out of that defund-the-police movement … the county prosecutor in Minneapolis, Mary Moriarty, is one of the [George] Soros-funded, hard-left prosecutors who has embraced every policy imaginable to undermine public safety.”
SOROS PROSECUTOR RIPPED FOR FAILING TO CHARGE WALZ STAFFER OVER TESLA VANDALISM: ‘2-TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM’
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara speaks at a Thursday news conference announcing the arrest of James Ortley. (KMSP)
Schultz said Moriarty is “aggressively pursuing law enforcement” and “electing to … dismiss cases that give lenient plea deals to individuals who had committed serious violent crime, and otherwise embracing a variety of very woke policies, like taking race into account in sentencing guidelines and otherwise.”
The suspect in Tuesday’s mass shooting, for example, has a lengthy criminal history.
Hennepin County records show Ortley was allegedly involved in a crime spree that resulted in a Minneapolis resident being shot through his bedroom window in February, but the district attorney ultimately denied charges for the 34-year-old, as the Star Tribune first reported.
LEFT-WING DA FORCING PROSECUTORS TO CONSIDER ‘RACIAL IDENTITY’ IN PLEA DEALS
Items are placed as a memorial at the site of an April 29 mass shooting on May 2, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Mark Vancleave)
In approximately the last 15 years, he has also faced charges ranging from DWIs to first-degree aggravated robbery, fleeing a police officer, illegal possession of a firearm and second-degree assault. These charges stem from two violent incidents in which he allegedly shot at a 16-year-old girl while stealing her phone in 2009 and stabbed a man at a bar in 2021.
A witness described Ortley’s weapon used in the attack as a “3-inch-long pocket knife.” The witness further said she saw the victim run away from the defendant, lose his shoe and turn around, at which point Ortley grabbed the victim and “began stabbing him in the back,” according to Hennepin County records.
In the 2021 bar stabbing, Ortley’s latest charge, he was sentenced to serve 39 months in prison and five years of probation, but the court issued a stay of execution, which temporarily stops the sentencing order.
A police officer works on the scene as a bystander reacts to a homicide in front of 2107 Cedar Ave S in Minneapolis on April 30, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune )
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Schultz said Minneapolis has seen a recent “improvement in the number of homicides in this city, in particular.”
“This, of course, is a huge step back … and a reminder that Minneapolis is still operating with a fraction of the police officers it needs,” Schultz said of the mass shooting. “It’s still operating in an environment in which many in city leadership are hostile to law enforcement and that crime problems in the city still persist, even if they are not at their peaks in the way that they were in 2020, ‘21, ’23, ’24.”
Several shootings in Minneapolis over a 24-hour period last week resulted in the deaths of six people. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune )
The former attorney general nominee said Hennepin County should “set aside these far-left bizarre policies that say that holding [criminals] accountable is somehow unfair because of the circumstances in which they found their lives.”
“We need to ensure that violent criminals are put in prison, for a just amount of time for the victims and for the public safety,” he said.
The Justice Department on Sunday announced an investigation into whether the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office “engaged in a pattern of practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges or immunities secured or protect by the Constitution or laws of the United States” through Moriarty’s new directive for its prosecutors to consider race when negotiating plea deals with criminal defendants.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty (Mark Vancleave)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In a letter dated May 2, DOJ officials cited Moriarty’s recently adopted “Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants,” which instructs prosecutors to consider race when formulating plea offers, stating that “racial identity … should be part of the overall analysis” and that prosecutors “should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.”
“In particular, the investigation will focus on whether HCAO engages in illegal consideration of race in its prosecutorial decision-making,” Justice Department officials said in the letter, which Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon shared on X.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Police investigating homicide on Golden Valley Road
After being called to Golden Valley Road on a reported shooting, Minneapolis Police say they are investigating a homicide.
According to Minneapolis Police, officers were initially called to the 2700 block of Golden Valley Road around 2:30 a.m., where callers reported a shooting had occurred.
After first responders arrived, police said a man in his 40s had approached paramedics at the scene requesting help after he sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital for further treatment
Officers learned the man’s injuries may have been connected to a ShotSpotter activation which occurred in the 1400 block of Golden Valley Road.
After officers investigated the 1400 block, they were flagged down by an injured woman who had a non-fatal gunshot injury. She was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
As officers continued to search the area, they located a third shooting victim, a woman in her 30s who was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, police are still investigating the incident and have not announced any arrests in connection with the shooting.
Minneapolis, MN
6 months in: Minneapolis E-Line nearly twice the riders Metro Transit expected
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Metro Transit’s E-Line is marking six months on the road, and business owners are weighing in on the changes it has brought to their neighborhoods.
E-Line brings new riders and renewed business
What we know:
The E-Line, Metro Transit’s eighth bus rapid transit line, launched in December and runs from Southdale to the University of Minnesota. It replaced the Number 6 bus and features enhanced stations with better lighting, security cameras, real-time bus information and ticket machines.
Metro Transit reports the E-Line is averaging about 5,600 rides a day, which is roughly twice the number they expected. “The E-line has been a real success. People want service that’s fast, frequent and reliable, and you get all those things when you do something like this on the E-line,” said Drew Kerr, Metro Transit spokesperson.
Syril McNally, who owns Doug Flanders and Associates Fine Art Gallery near 50th and France, says the area has bounced back since construction ended. “We’ve had a lot of new people come in who have never been here before, and that have wanted to come for quite a while. So yeah, it’s absolutely helped people reach us,” said McNally.
Some business owners at 50th and France and in Linden Hills reported their revenues dropped 40% to 60% during construction of the new bus stops and other improvements. But Metro Transit says the upgrades have helped attract more riders to the line.
‘It’s absolutely worth the pain’
The backstory:
The E-Line’s construction caused headaches for some shop and restaurant owners in south Minneapolis and Edina, with significant revenue drops during the work. However, the hope was that the new transit line would bring more people to the area once finished.
McNally believes the short-term pain was worth it for the long-term gain. “We have artists who depend on the bus, so for that reason alone absolutely. I think it’s great if it helps more people get to where they need to go. It’s wonderful,” said McNally.
What they’re saying:
Business owners and Metro Transit both say the E-Line has helped bring new customers to the 50th and France area and made it easier for people to visit shops and galleries.
The improvements to stations and increased ridership are seen as a positive sign for the neighborhoods served by the E-Line.
Metro Transit says a new bus rapid transit line will debut in St. Paul next year, and more lines are being developed for the future.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis-based Sleep Number enters bankruptcy, has sale deal with Canadian company
Mattress maker Sleep Number Corp. announced Friday that it has filed bankruptcy, with an agreement to sell the firm to one-time retail partner Sleep Country Canada Inc. after years of weak demand, mounting financial pressure and unpredictable tariffs.
Minneapolis-based Sleep Number blamed its bankruptcy, in part, on “the unpredictable shifting of trade rules imposed by the current U.S. government on top of an already vulnerable global supply chain,” according to the Friday court filing.
Even after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, “the broader trade landscape remained complex and the company continued to manage ongoing regulatory uncertainties, particularly regarding potential alternative tariff frameworks that may be imposed” on U.S. imports, Chief Financial Officer Amy O’Keefe said in the filing.
Sleep Number filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in order to hold an auction, at which Sleep Country would be the so-called stalking horse bidder. Its all-cash opening offer for “substantially” all of the firm’s assets is $415 million, O’Keefe said.
Because the firm tried to sell itself in the months leading up to the Chapter 11 filing, O’Keefe said Sleep Number is seeking a 26-day sale process. Any competing bids would be due July 8 and the sale would close by July 31 under the company’s proposed timeline.
Sleep Number, which operates 572 stores and is known for its customizable beds, will continue operations while seeking a quicker-than-usual court-supervised sale process, according to the filing.
The company, whose shares have plunged more than 95% the past four months, has been hurt by declining store traffic amid broader industry pressures.
In response to mounting financial woes, O’Keefe said Sleep Number restructured its real estate portfolio and launched a number of cost-cutting initiatives in recent years. The firm had reported its operating costs fell by $136 million last year, but its net loss still widened as net sales dropped 16%.
Sleep Number said in a statement that will continue to review its footprint with the aim of retaining as many retail locations as possible. It added that as much of $65 million of new borrowing has been arranged to pay for the restructuring process. Sleep Number would also refinance $195 million of older debt should the loan package be approved by the judge overseeing the bankruptcy case.
The company listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion, with lenders owned about $672.5 million.
-
South Dakota2 minutes agoOpinion: South Dakota’s tech future depends on powering next wave of innovation
-
Tennessee7 minutes agoTennessee Football Lands Four-Star Offensive Line Commitment Q’Mari Hudson | Rocky Top Insider
-
Texas14 minutes agoNBA star James Harden arrested in Texas on weapons charge
-
Utah17 minutes ago‘A beautiful location’: New state cemetery for military veterans coming to Washington Terrace
-
Vermont22 minutes agoBrattleboro’s Latchis Theatre: A Journey Through Cinema – Valley News
-
Virginia29 minutes agoPierce Keeps Rolling In West Virginia – SPEED SPORT
-
Washington32 minutes agoPolice investigate brutally beaten man dumped in alley; family suspects hate crime
-
Wisconsin36 minutes agoWisconsin basketball adds 7-foot-1 center Jack Thelen to 2027 recruiting class