Kashmir “Kash” McReynolds, a former violence-prevention worker in Minneapolis, has been acquitted over a shooting during a community barbecue in north Minneapolis in March 2025.
A federal jury reached its verdict on Tuesday, October 6, after deliberating for about five hours. McReynolds was found not guilty of a firearms charge and was released from custody.
North Minneapolis shooting
The case centred on an incident on March 10, 2025, near the junction of 36th Street and Penn Avenue North. McReynolds and other members of the 21 Days of Peace group had been attending a cookout when gunfire broke out at about 9.36pm.
Prosecutors alleged that roughly 30 rounds were fired towards those at the gathering, with bullets striking McReynolds in the neck and torso. No one was identified as having seen the person responsible for the initial shooting.
Court documents alleged that McReynolds then fired back towards the area from which he believed the shots had come. Surveillance footage was said to show him asking a friend to “grab his chop”, a reference to another firearm.
Federal prosecutors said McReynolds fired one weapon while Alvin Watkins Jr fired another. In total, about 43 rounds were allegedly discharged into the surrounding residential area.
The US Attorney’s Office for Minnesota said in June 2025 that the two men had been indicted following an investigation by the FBI and Minneapolis Police Department. An indictment is an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
21 Days of Peace funding
McReynolds had worked with 21 Days of Peace, a violence-interruption initiative operated by the non-profit Salem Inc. The organisation was contracted by the city of Minneapolis for about $1.5 million a year in 2023 and 2024 to provide social-equity and community-engagement services.
The case drew scrutiny because violence-prevention workers were expected to remain unarmed while carrying out their duties. The use of such groups and the way public funding is monitored have also faced questions in Minneapolis.
