After four children were shot in a stolen car, the Minneapolis police chief and the Hennepin County prosecutor exchange blame

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police chief and the Hennepin County prosecutor are pointing fingers at each other after Four children were shot in a stolen vehicle on the north side of the city on the weekend.

Two boys and two girls between the ages of 11 and 14 were shot and one of the girls is in critical condition, police said.

Police Chief Brian O'Hara said early Sunday that “police are doing everything they can to respond,” but there must be tougher consequences for youths who commit crimes with stolen cars. He said two of the children involved were arrested less than two weeks ago.

“We are failing to stop this behavior,” he said. “We are also failing these children.”

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office, led by Mary Moriarty, said harsh consequences may not be the only solution.

“None of the children shot in a stolen car over the weekend were referred to our office by police for early intervention in youth auto theft,” the district attorney's office said in a statement. “We encourage MPD to work with us to ensure youth have access to early and effective interventions.”

At a press conference on Monday, O'Hara strongly disagreed with the office's assessment.

“Our juvenile investigators forwarded two cases to the district attorney's office on August 9th where two of the individuals were charged with serious crimes,” O'Hara said. “The children were not charged, they were not diverted and despite their parents' pleas for help and to take them into custody, they were released back onto the streets, into the same environment where they could commit more crimes, which they did over the weekend.”

WCCO has reached out to the district attorney's office for comment.

The Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association also responded to the district attorney’s request.

“We hope the Hennepin County District Attorney will work with law enforcement to hold criminals accountable, provide youth with the interventions they need, and prevent recidivism,” the group said. “Pointing fingers is unproductive and does a disservice to our young people, our communities, and those who rightly expect us to work together to solve these problems and put the safety and well-being of our citizens first.”

Police said they arrested a fifth minor who was in the stolen vehicle, but no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. O'Hara said police suspect the shooters were also minors.

The mother of one of the boys shot said he was hit near the spine and still could not feel his legs.

Intervention program triggers previous dispute

This is not the first time that Moriarty's office has clashed with O'Hara over juvenile delinquency.

In March, the public prosecutor’s office presented its Plan for a new youth diversion programwhose goal is to provide children with resources that can serve as intervention before the situation gets out of control.

During that announcement, Moriarty said that 88% of youth involved in auto thefts who were offered help do not reoffend. She also said that of the 7,856 auto theft cases, only 2.3% were solved, meaning that Minneapolis police only referred a small percentage of young people involved in auto thefts to the district attorney for charges.

In response, O'Hara accused the district attorney of pointing the finger at his department.

“Any suggestion that the Minneapolis Police Department is not doing everything in its power to solve the problem and is not working with the people to address it is simply not true and a slap in the face to the police officers who are putting their lives on the line every day to solve this problem,” O'Hara said.

Community members demand change

Meanwhile, leaders of the Agape movement, based in south Minneapolis, are frustrated with the cycle of youth crime and Call for unity in response to this.

“It takes a village to stop the killings, and that village is everyone,” said Communications Director Bridgette Stewart.

The group regularly hosts activities for children in Minneapolis where group leaders can begin to build relationships and trust.

“Everyone has a role to play,” Stewart said. “These children belong to all of us, and once they leave home, they become our children, and we all have to have a vested interest in our youth.”