Grandmother Killed In North Mpls. Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A grandmother who was driving with her granddaughter is the latest victim of gun violence in Minneapolis.
The family of 59-year-old Birdell Beeks is outraged she fell victim to gang violence.
Minneapolis police say the shooting happened around 6 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of 21st and Penn Avenues North.
Beeks didn't choose her biggest battles. Her family told WCCO the mother and grandmother they called "Flutter" soared above and beat complications from diabetes, kidney failure and cancer.
She couldn't survive the last unplanned fight for her life. Beeks was killed in broad daylight during gunfire she had nothing to do with.
"I see a lot of changes and things that are happening and it's not for the best. It's not for the good of the neighborhood," said neighbor Annette Jackson.
Jackson watched the crime scene from her porch.
"I thought it was firecrackers," she said.
She now knows it was gunfire.
"It could have been me. It could have been me. You're shooting bullets, and bullets ain't got nobody's name wrote on them. It could've been me," Jackson said.
Beeks' death will be the 10th murder on Minneapolis streets this year.
"It's almost like being in prison," Jackson said.
Beeks' daughter told us their mother did not deserve to die at the hands of ignorance in the streets.
Jackson knows this is everyone's battle, but she wishes it weren't so.
"You can't sit out on your porch. Your kids can't play in the yard. The first weird noise you see, 'Alright, come in,' and everybody inside," she said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau released a statement calling the death of an innocent bystander intolerable and unacceptable.
"We are aggressively going after known gang members or those in cliques that are responsible for this continuance of violence, which affects each and every person in our community," she said.
Police made arrests at a home down the street from the shooting but it is still unclear if they believe they have the person responsible. They are asking for tips from the public.
Twelve more officers will be assigned to the 4th Precinct on June 12.
