Minneapolis, MN
Meet the Minneapolis Fire Department’s first all-Indigenous crew
The Minneapolis Fire Department is making history with the first all-Indigenous fire crew.
For the past six months, a crew of four has manned engine 10 in fire house number six in Minneapolis.
Captain Michael Graves, fire motor operator Jessie Strong, and firefighters Johnny Crow and Bobby Headbird make up Minneapolis’ first all-Indigenous fire crew.
“We picked engine 10 station six to kind of be close to Little Earth and Franklin community where it’s mostly and it’s highly dense population of Natives in that area,” said Graves.
All the firefighters represent different Nations: Graves from Red Lake, Headbird from Leech Lake and Strong from the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe.
“I’m from Pine Ridge, I’m Oglala Lakota,” said Crow.
They’re proud to serve the community that raised them.
“All of us come here from the community, our families are here, our friends are here, we’re from the city of Minneapolis and we’re trying to give back to the community that has given us a lot,” said Crow.
The crew’s chemistry was instant. Their goals were the same: to inspire kids and adults in the Indigenous community.
“When we come on scene, we get smiles, people see us. They go ‘What? We have an all-Native crew?’ They are amazed at seeing it,” said Graves.
Station six is the busiest in the city. The rig and its Native crew make dozens of runs a day.
“We enjoy this, we enjoy taking runs. We enjoy helping so we take a lot of pride in being busy,” Crow said.
With frequent calls comes exposure to what’s hurting their community. Poverty, drug use adn violence makes the fight to steer young people in another direction, constant.
“We’re kind of making a new path for our community and I think that’s why we are received really well by the community here because they understand the importance of where we are at in our position and it gives hope to the next generation,” Crow said.
They want their service to be an example to all who see them or are helped by them.
“Without the community we don’t have a job so we are here for them. The community and we really appreciate going out into the native community and supporting them,” said Headbird.
The battalion chief, Steph Johnson is also Native. The goal of the Minneapolis Fire department is to have its roster reflect the city’s diversity.
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One person is dead and eight others are hurt in a string of weekend shootings across Minneapolis.
Police say the first shooting occurred Friday around 5 p.m. near North Humboldt and 26th avenues. A man was outside of his home when shots rang out, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds.
Around 9:35 p.m. Friday, two men were shot outside in the area of north Lowry and Logan avenues.
Just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a man was found shot in an alley near Mortimer’s Bar and Restaurant off South Lyndale and Franklin avenues. He told police he was outside walking when he was hit.
Just before 12:50 a.m. Saturday, police say a man outside was shot near North Penn Avenue, just north of Highway 55, by someone driving by.
Around 1:50 a.m. Saturday, a man suffering from gunshot wounds showed up at Hennepin Healthcare, with police later determining he was shot in the area of North Lyndale and 45th avenues.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, a man showed up to Children’s Minneapolis hospital with a gunshot wound he said occurred when he was asleep inside his vehicle.
On Sunday around 1 a.m., a man was found laying on the ground near Bloomington Avenue and East 24th Street. He was brought to Hennepin Healthcare where he later died. Police say investigators “located evidence of gunfire, including a firearm recovered next to the man who died.”
On Sunday just before 1:30 a.m., a 15-year-old girl was shot in the area of Hennepin and Laurel avenues in downtown. Two boys, ages 14 and 15, were soon arrested in connection to the shooting.
And just before 1:50 a.m. Sunday, a man was found shot inside a business off Northeast Lowry Avenue and Fourth Street Northeast. Investigators believe the shooting began as an altercation in the business’s parking lot.
With the exception of the shooting of the 15-year-old girl, police say no arrests have been made in any of the cases. All surviving victims have injuries described by police as non-life threatening.
Anyone with information on any of these shootings can submit an anonymous tip online to Crime Stoppers, or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
A shooting in north Minneapolis injured a man near Penn Avenue.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers responded to a shooting near the 700th block of Penn Avenue North, where they found a man with a gunshot wound.
Authorities said preliminary information shows that the man was outside when the shooting happened, possibly coming from a vehicle. A nearby hospital treated the man for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are still investigating, with a forensic team collecting evidence from the scene. Officers said no arrests have been made.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
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