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Minneapolis violence prevention funding questions
A critical internal audit has confirmed years of FOX 9 investigations: The City of Minneapolis failed to properly oversee millions of taxpayer dollars awarded to non-police violence prevention groups. The Minneapolis Office of the City Auditor concluded the Neighborhood Safety Department's decentralized structure and weak financial controls created a high-risk environment for fraud, waste and abuse. FOX 9’s Paul Blume has the details.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A one-time "21 Days of Peace" violence prevention worker has been found not guilty after being charged in the aftermath of a shooting that occurred during a March 2025 cookout in north Minneapolis.
21 Days of Peace worker shooting verdict
What we know:
Kashmir "Kash" McReynolds was found not guilty on Oct. 6, 2026, after a jury deliberated for roughly five hours following a trial.
After being acquitted of one count of aiding and abetting possession of ammo/firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm, he was released from custody.
Dig deeper:
McReynolds was charged following the March 10, 2025, incident in north Minneapolis.
According to an indictment filed on June 5, 2025, Kashmir McReynolds and Alvin Watkins Jr., "recklessly fired approximately 43 bullets" into the dark in a residential neighborhood in the area of 36th Street and Penn Avenue North at around 9:36 p.m.
Charges outline that McReynolds, Watkins and other community members were attending a BBQ when 30 bullets were shot in their direction – one hitting McReynolds in the neck and torso.
Although no one reportedly saw who fired the shots, court documents allege that McReynolds then retaliated by shooting in the general direction they came from, with surveillance video showing McReynolds telling a friend to "grab his chop" – meaning another firearm – during the exchange.
Court documents say that McReynolds fired one gun, while Watkins fired another, despite a core tenant of the group being they are supposed to remain unarmed in their efforts.
The backstory:
21 Days for Peace was contracted by Minneapolis for approximately $1.5 million per year for fiscal 2023 and 2024 for "social equity building and community engagement services."
However, the use of violence interrupter groups in Minneapolis has come under scrutiny by those questioning exactly what they do, and by what metrics they are held accountable for receiving the money that is doled out to them.
The Source: Information provided by previous FOX 9 reporting.