Shooter gets 86½ years for triple murder at Minneapolis encampment
A Hennepin County judge has sentenced Earl Bennett to 86½ years in prison for a 'brazen' triple murder at a Minneapolis homeless encampment, closing one of the most disturbing encampment‑violence cases to hit the city in recent years. Bennett was convicted of killing three people at a south Minneapolis camp in 2022, in an attack prosecutors said terrorized an already vulnerable community and underscored how dangerous some of these sites have become. He was later shot and wounded by St. Paul police in a separate encounter, but survived to stand trial. At sentencing, the court imposed consecutive terms that will effectively keep him locked up for life, with credit only for time served. The case is being watched closely by advocates and neighbors who say encampment residents rarely see this level of accountability when they’re the ones being killed.
📌 Key Facts
- Defendant Earl Bennett was sentenced to 86½ years in prison in Hennepin County District Court.
- He was convicted of murdering three people at a Minneapolis homeless encampment in 2022.
- Bennett was previously shot and wounded by St. Paul police in a separate incident but survived to face trial and sentencing.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minnesota, Native Americans are 30 times more likely to experience homelessness than their White, non-Hispanic counterparts.
Resources | Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness — Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness
Native Americans in Minnesota experience intergenerational trauma from systemic racism and policies that dismantled culture, sovereignty, and prosperity, leading to distrust of government and social services, preference for unsheltered homelessness, and high rates of substance use.
New data shows Minnesota’s homeless population is more Native American, rural than ever — MPR News
Black Minnesotans are 7% of the population but were 27% of the deaths by police use of force.
State report: Black Minnesotans killed at disproportionate rate in police encounters — MPR News
In Minneapolis, homicides increased from 48 in 2019 to 84 in 2020, with continued high levels thereafter.
Minneapolis crime — data at odds with the narrative — American Experiment
Black and Indigenous people experience higher rates of homelessness and unsheltered homelessness due to historical and contemporary discrimination in housing, employment, education, and the criminal-legal system.
State of Homelessness: 2025 Edition — National Alliance to End Homelessness
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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