Tafoya Says Somali Gang Violence Flared Again in St. Paul as 46 Agencies Press a Crackdown

Michele Tafoya went on national TV two days before the election and put crime at the center of Minnesota's Senate race. "Last night, we had more Somali gang violence reportedly flare up in St. Paul," the Republican nominee told Peter Doocy on Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing" on Nov. 1.

She was talking about Halloween night at Union Depot. A fight broke out at the BundleHalal Fall Market, callers reported gunfire and thousands of people were sent out of the building.

"I think people are tired of wondering when the next gang violence is gonna spike here in the Twin Cities or elsewhere," Tafoya said. "I'm the only candidate in this race that has been endorsed by all of the police organizations, the law enforcement organizations in Minnesota."

What happened at Union Depot

Officers working the 200 block of East Fourth Street called for backup just before 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 31 after a fight broke out at the event, St. Paul police said. Officers ordered people out and cleared the building. The crowd ran and broke glass, and gunfire was suspected at first.

Police say no shots were fired. No one was hurt and no one was arrested, KARE 11 reported from the police account.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said during his livestream that night that the fight could be gang-related, FOX 9 reported. St. Paul police, who lead the case, have not confirmed a gang link. The market's organizers ended the event two hours early and apologized.

A fall of shootings in the suburbs

The Depot scare came after weeks of gunfire that police tie to Somali and East African gangs. An 18-year-old allegedly shot and wounded two people in a parking lot during Eden Prairie High School's homecoming game on Oct. 2. Days later, roughly 100 rounds hit a Bloomington home in what police suspect was payback. A shooting at an Edina church followed.

On Oct. 31, Edina police said a man tied to a July shooting at Yancy Park may be linked to other metro shootings, and that the park shooting may have been retaliatory East African gang activity, CBS Minnesota reported.

"We have a Somali-American gang problem right now," Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said Oct. 19. "This does not mean that all members of the Somali-American community are involved in criminal activity, because that is simply not the case."

The crackdown

That same day, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said 46 local, state and federal agencies had signed on to a joint plan run through the state's Crime Gun Intelligence Center with the FBI and ATF. The FBI and ATF said they will go after the most dangerous shooters and take cases federal, including RICO prosecutions where they fit, the Department of Public Safety said.

Polls close Tuesday. Tafoya faces Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.