Business owners in Brooklyn Park call on city to address safety issues

Brooklyn Park police are investigating a shooting at a mall that sent shoppers and business owners running for cover Saturday.

The shooting occurred near the intersection of Brookdale Drive and Zane Avenue North.

The police are still looking for the person responsible. No one was injured.

People in the area said the violence was a recurring problem that increased in the summer.

“It’s scary. You can’t even stand outside. You’re scared. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Matalie Cisse, owner of M&T Beauty Supply.

Cisse feels trapped in her own cosmetics store in Brooklyn Park.

“It’s not easy out here in the summer. Sometimes you see guys running around with guns,” said Cisse.

That is exactly what she saw on Saturday around 4:30 p.m.

Brooklyn Park Police received a call that people were shooting at each other in the mall near Brookdale Drive.

Investigators found at least 40 bullet casings in the parking lot.

“We heard the sound of the gunshots and everyone had to lie down on the ground. You don’t know what’s going on. People are running around like crazy in the parking lot,” said Cisse. “We’re lucky that no one was shot.”

According to police, the shopping center has been a crime hotspot for years.

“All sorts of things have happened there, from drug dealing to shootings to murders,” said Brooklyn Park Police investigator Elliot Faust.

In 2021, the city hired violence interrupters to monitor the area for several years.

“In the course of these interactions, a certain deterrent effect was definitely achieved in counteracting the crime committed there,” said Faust.

The partnership between the violence interrupters and the city ended because it was too expensive to maintain.

Faust explained that some resources were allocated to this mall, but they were short about 20 officers.

“Our resources are extremely depleted, but we are doing everything we can to respond,” Faust said.

Business owners noted that customers are hesitant to come to the area due to recent violence, hurting their businesses.

Mall workers are calling on the city to make the area a top priority before it’s too late.

“Our lives are in danger,” said Cisse. “We need security back because it is safe for us and for the community.”

Faust explained that further strategies to prevent violence are being developed and will be implemented in the coming months.