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Resources for Covering Police Use of Force and Police Shootings in Minnesota

5.29.2020

The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has intensified conversations around police violence and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. While the killing of Floyd wasn’t a shooting, data from The Guardian shows that most people killed by police are killed with guns. According to the Washington Post, Black Americans are shot and killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans, and 61 people have been fatally shot by on-duty police since 2015 in Minnesota.  

Black residents make up less than 20 percent of the population in Minneapolis and in St. Paul, but are disproportionately impacted by police use of force. Since 2008, Black people were the subject of 63 percent of officer-involved shootings and police use of force incidents in Minneapolis. And in St. Paul, Black people were the subjects of nearly a third of the use of force incidents in 2016 and 2017.

As you report on these continuing conversations, below are some statistics on police use-of-force and police shootings in Minnesota’s two largest cities. These statistics come from direct reports from police departments within the state and may not account for every incident. 

In Minneapolis

  • The Minneapolis Police Department reported 49 officer-involved shootings between 2008 and 2019. Of the 49 reported incidents, 23 resulted in nonfatal wounds, and 11 resulted in fatal wounds. 
  • The Police Department reported nearly 12,500 incidents of the use-of-force between 2008 and the present. 
  • Black residents account for about 19 percent of the population of Minneapolis, but were the subject of 63 percent of officer-involved shootings and use of force incidents.

In St. Paul

  • In 2016 and 2017, the city of St. Paul reported 4 officer-involved shootings, all of which resulted in the subject receiving fatal injuries. 
  • The city reported 1513 use of force incidents between 2016 and 2017. Black residents account for about 16 percent of the population of St. Paul, but are the subjects of nearly a third of use of force incidents in 2016 and 2017. 

Research finds that meaningful use of force policies reduce police shootings. By encouraging de-escalationutilizing early intervention systems, and ensuring that officers who act in a manner that is criminally negligent can be held accountable, use of force policies can ensure that laws help advance safety and promote trust in the police.

Information about gun violence in Minnesota is available here. Community-based groups and violence intervention advocates have been working to support those impacted by this tragic reality. Press is encouraged to reach out to these groups for more information.