Indictment: 21 Days of Peace violence interrupters fired 43 shots in March incident
Indictment: 21 Days of Peace violence interrupters fired 43 shots in March incident originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
Two men who worked for the Minneapolis violence interruption group 21 Days of Peace have been indicted by a federal grand jury with gun crimes following a March incident in which they fired dozens of shots.
Alvin Anthony Watkins, Jr., 50, of St. Anthony, and Kashmir Khaliffa McReynolds, 35, of Minneapolis, are facing federal charges, with the U.S. Attorney's Office saying they "recklessly fired approximately 43 bullets into the dark, in a residential neighborhood in North Minneapolis" on Monday, Mar. 10.
The pair had allegedly just finished their shifts attending a barbecue hosted by 21 Days of Peace when a still-unidentified assailant fired around 30 shots in their direction.
"Although McReynolds did not see a person fire the gunshots, he fired numerous rounds in the general direction from which he thought the gunshots had originated, then ran to the other side of the block and continued shooting," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
"He also supplied Watkins with another gun, which Watkins fired a number of times. McReynolds knew Watkins was prohibited from carrying and possessing firearms due to his prior felony convictions. In total, McReynolds and Watkins fired approximately 43 rounds of ammunition."
21 Days of Peace is a violence interruption group under the umbrella of Salem Inc., the nonprofit founded by the Rev. Jerry McAfee that has received millions of dollars in funding via the Minnesota Legislature and The City of Minneapolis in recent years."McReynolds and Watkins were paid taxpayer money to bring peace to the community. Instead, they brought the very violence they claimed to be interrupting. This is outrageous. These defendants will be held to account," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis.
But speaking to the Star Tribune, the Rev. McAfee questioned why the violence interrupters have been charged at the federal level given their case is also with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
He also questioned why the pair have been charged and nobody has been arrested for firing upon them on the first place, saying: "It's interesting: They fired at 'em 30 times, you got nothing?"
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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