Wild St. Paul shootout captured on video, African American Leadership Council has plan to curb violence

More than 30 rounds of gunfire were exchanged between at least two shooters in the middle of the afternoon last Saturday in the 1100 block of Arundel Street in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood.

St. Paul Police told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS no one was injured in the gun battle and no one has been arrested, but one neighbor, Charlene Eckhart, said there is a psychological wound.

"I have young children who could have easily been hit by that gunfire," said Eckhart. "It is terrifying to come home and be told by police that your family just missed being shot by six minutes and they’re out picking up dozens of shell casings."

Tyrone Terrill, President of the African American Leadership Council, told KSTP his organization and the St. Paul Black Ministerial Alliance is about to receive a sizable federal grant to help curb violence among young men and women — mostly teenagers.

"We are going to go straight to the street and pull kids out of gangs, if they want, and help them," said Terrill. "We need to stop killing each other and we are going to take a focused and strategic approach to remove kids from that environment and give them a chance to succeed."

St. Paul Police records show the number of shots fired is up nearly 130%, injuries from gunshots are up 78% and homicides are up 50% compared to this same time a year ago.