Minneapolis forms FAST unit for non-fatal shootings
Minneapolis launched the Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST) to investigate non-fatal shootings and accelerate arrests, city officials announced.[1]
FAST will put dedicated investigators on non-fatal shooting scenes immediately and create a Violent Criminal Apprehension Team focused on arrests.[1] The unit was modeled on St. Paul's Non-Fatal Shooting Unit and an earlier Denver model and includes partnerships with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Hennepin and Ramsey county sheriffs, and Bloomington police.[1]
St. Paul's unit raised its non-fatal shooting solve rate from 37% to 71% between 2024 and 2025, while non-fatal shootings there fell from 183 to 73 over that period.[1] Minneapolis cleared roughly 80% of homicides in 2025 but only about 47% of non-fatal shootings, a shortfall city leaders say FAST is meant to address.[1]
Mayor Jacob Frey and Council Member Jason Chavez said non-fatal shootings must be treated as seriously as homicides because they hit communities of color hardest.[1]
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📌 Key Facts
- Minneapolis launched the Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST) to investigate non-fatal shootings, modeled on St. Paul’s Non-Fatal Shooting Unit and Denver’s earlier model.
- St. Paul’s unit raised non-fatal shooting solve rates from 37% to 71% between 2024 and 2025 and saw non-fatal shootings drop from 183 to 73 in that period.
- In 2025 Minneapolis cleared about 80% of homicides but only 47% of non-fatal shootings; FAST will have dedicated investigators who respond immediately to non-fatal shooting scenes.
- FAST involves partnerships with the Minnesota BCA, Hennepin and Ramsey County sheriffs’ offices, and Bloomington police, plus a Violent Criminal Apprehension Team focused on arrests.
- Mayor Jacob Frey and Council Member Jason Chavez publicly argued that non-fatal shootings must be treated as seriously as homicides, given the disproportionate impact on communities of color.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time