Staff Directory 6370473

Andy Mannix

Minneapolis crime and policing reporter | Minneapolis crime and policing
Phone: 612-673-4036

Andy Mannix covers Minneapolis crime and policing for the Minnesota Star Tribune.


Since joining the paper in 2016, Mannix has worked on beats reporting on Minnesota's courts and law enforcement at state, local, and federal levels, Minneapolis City Hall and issues related to criminal justice policy and prisons. In 2020, he was part of the team of reporters that covered the killing of George Floyd and aftermath, leading to the Star Tribune winning the George Polk Award and Pulitzer Prize. Mannix also teaches at the University of Minnesota journalism school, of which he's an alumnus. He holds a master's degree from University of California-Berkeley, where he focused on data-driven journalism. Prior to joining the Minnesota Star Tribune, Mannix wrote about a variety of topics, such as crime, recreational marijuana and politics, for publications including The Seattle Times, MinnPost, City Pages and The Minnesota Daily. He lives in Minneapolis.
Recent content from Andy Mannix
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BCA extracts video from Winston Smith Jr.'s cellphone of task force fatally shooting him in 2021

The disclosure marks the first time the agency independently corroborated the video's existence, more than a year after the Star Tribune reported that it was recovered by a forensic analyst.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announces he and an independent team are in phase three of a review of former Ramsey County Medical Examiner Michael

Ramsey County narrows probe into former medical examiner to seven cases

The investigation follows a litany of critiques from judges and independent reports casting doubt on the former chief medical examiner's methods.
FILE - In this Friday, May 29, 2020 file photo, law enforcement officers stand in formation along Lake Street near Hiawatha Avenue as fires burned aft

Fact check: Did Tim Walz 'let rioters burn down Minneapolis'?

The Trump campaign is hammering this line of attack in new ads. Through videos, interviews and other public documents, the Star Tribune pieced together a timeline of the governor's response to the riots.
The Hennepin County jail, downtown Minneapolis

28-year-old woman found unresponsive in Hennepin County jail, dies later in hospital

A jail spokesperson would not provide any information on the death or investigation.
Minnesota National Guard members on May 30, 2020, maintain a position on Lake Street in Minneapolis protecting nearby firefighters in the wake of the

Lawsuit: State leaders are illegally withholding records on Tim Walz's riot response

Public Record Media says the state has violated Minnesota public data law by refusing to turn over data related to an after-action report after more than two years.
The lawsuit alleges the Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Office failed to implement standard accounting practices designed to root out fraud.

Amid allegations of illegal practices, Minneapolis will start auditing violence interrupter groups

But an attorney for the plaintiff said in court Wednesday that he isn't dropping the lawsuit yet, asking a Hennepin County judge first to rule the city structurally fails to abide by state public records law.
City Council President Elliott Payne authored a resolution asking for the assessment.

Minneapolis council president asks auditor to probe secretive police 'coaching' practice

City Council President Elliott Payne says the auditor will determine whether the city is complying with a state settlement negotiated in the wake of George Floyd's murder.
The letter asks Gov. Tim Walz to remove Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty from use-of-force cases, coming two months after the prosecutor announc

Minnesota police association to Walz: Remove Mary Moriarty from all use-of-force cases

The letter is part of a public relations effort by Minnesota police associations to "push back against criticisms" of law enforcement from the Hennepin County attorney.

Charges: Burnsville woman fatally shot 70-year-old, hid body at Minneapolis shed for 10 days

Josephine Ann Powers, 25, is charged with second-degree murder for shooting Michael Robert Riccio in the head.
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak at an event for NCAA champions on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday.

GOP criticism of Harris draws attention to Minnesota bail nonprofit

After George Floyd's murder, the vice president encouraged her social media followers to help arrested protesters by donating to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Colleen Ryan works as a border adviser in Ukraine. Part of her work is facilitating training for border guards from Ukraine to detect forged travel do

She quit the Minneapolis police force, claiming harassment. Then she headed to Ukraine.

In interviews with the Star Tribune, Ryan described life before and after the Russian invasion in the country, where she's worked to secure the border and help refugees flee war-torn areas.
A campaign rally site for former President Donald Trump is empty after a shooting at the event on Saturday in Butler, Pa.

Minnesota political leaders condemn attack on Trump, offer sympathy and prayers

News of the shooting in Pennsylvania elicited compassionate responses from across the political spectrum.
Nekima Levy Armstrong gathered with Black women demanding justice for Amir Locke at the rotunda at City Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Monday, Feb. 7,

Judge says lawsuit can proceed against Minneapolis SWAT officer who killed Amir Locke

U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud denied motions from the city and officer asking to dismiss.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, at lectern, along with Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, Park Police Chief Jason Ohotto, Minneapolis Parks

Law enforcement to ramp up patrols, close roads for July 4th in Minneapolis

After two years of chaotic violence, police say they will seize illegal fireworks and arrest those looking to ruin the celebration.
Leonard Peltier's next opportunity for parole is set for June 2039, his attorney said.

Leonard Peltier's parole denied in 1975 murder of 2 FBI agents

The Native activist has maintained his innocence during his 47 years in prison for the killing of two FBI agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Leita Walker, attorney for MNCOGI and Sarah Riskin, assistant city attorney for Minneapolis shook hands after they presented oral arguments in front o

Judge weighs arguments on whether Minneapolis broke law in secretive police 'coaching'

Beyond the legal argument, the public records lawsuit has opened a window into the city's convoluted coaching process.
Joe Friedberg, shown in 2009.

Joe Friedberg, 'godfather' of Minnesota defense lawyers, dies at 87

Friedberg built a legend on his wit, encyclopedic knowledge of the law and a client list of NFL players, politicians, drug lords and swindlers. He died Monday after battling colon cancer for eight months.
Minneapolis police at 35th Street and Hiawatha Avenue S., near where a man was shot and killed after he was waving a gun, Police Chief Brian O'Hara sa

Armed man fatally shot by Minneapolis police ID'd by medical examiner

Three officers who shot the suspect have also been identified and placed on leave.
Gov. Tim Walz signed the law May 24 and it went into effect the following day.

Minnesota Gov. Walz signs law banning 'excited delirium' for police

The law follows similar legislation in New York and Colorado for a diagnosis rejected by national medical associations as pseudoscience.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty dismissed murder and manslaughter charges against State Trooper Ryan Londregan in Minneapolis on Monday.

Walz planned to remove Moriarty from state trooper murder prosecution

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said rumors over pulling her from the case didn't factor into her decision to drop murder charges.
Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan is greeted by supporters as he arrives with his wife, Grace, and his legal team April 29 at the Hennepin County

Moriarty drops murder charges against state trooper in 2023 shooting of Ricky Cobb II

Moriarty said the decision comes in response to comments made by Ryan Londregan's defense attorneys that the 28-year-old trooper feared for his partner's life, prompting her team to re-review the evidence.
Minneapolis police officer Nicole MacKenzie brings flowers down to a memorial for fallen officer Jamal Mitchell on Friday outside the Fifth Precinct.

Mpls. shooting death adds to rising attacks on law enforcement

As the city mourns officer Jamal Mitchell, police leaders in Minnesota say his shooting is the symptom of a larger threat.
A coaching memo filed as an exhibit in a lawsuit by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information.

Despite years of denial, Mpls. police used secretive process for serious misconduct

City officials have repeatedly claimed they only use coaching for the lowest-level policy violations. New court documents show that's not true.

Discrepancies in how coaching is used

Explanations by city officials on coaching differ from how it was actually used in some cases.

Minneapolis to pay $50K to man shoved to the ground while filming police

Another $115K was approved to settle a claim that a police canine squad caused a car accident and sent the driver to the hospital.
Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan is greeted by supporters as he arrives with his wife, Grace, and his legal team, Monday, April 29, 2024, at the

Trooper pleads not guilty on murder, manslaughter charges; trial set for September

The trial for Ryan Londregan is slated to begin Sept. 9 and last about three weeks, including jury selection.
A still image from body camera footage shows Pepsi Heinl aiming a handgun at St. Paul police officers moments after their arrival. They returned fire,

Body camera footage shows woman pointing gun at St. Paul officers before they return fire

Pepsi Lee Heinl, 41, died of gunshot wounds after a "suicide in progress" call.
In a committee hearing last month, bill author Rep. Jessica Hanson, DFL- Burnsville, described excited delirium as a diagnosis "rooted in anti-Black r

Minnesota lawmakers look to ban 'excited delirium' training for police

The mention of the term during the George Floyd murder case and other high-profile police encounters has accelerated the debate over its legitimacy.
Charlie Jones-Burge's son was fatally shot at a Minneapolis convenience store on Oct. 8, 2020 — her birthday. She was on the phone with him when she

Amid unsolved Minneapolis homicides, families await justice

A deadly three-year period at the height of the pandemic has left Minneapolis with the most open homicide cases in at least three decades.
Michael McGee, the former chief medical examiner in Ramsey County, conducted Gabriela Romo’s autopsy and testified in the trial that led to the conv

Minnesota Innocence Project seeks records in murder case that hinged on embattled medical examiner's testimony

The Great Northern Innocence Project cites "rising concerns" over testimony in other cases involving former Ramsey County Medical Examiner Michael McGee.
The Minneapolis City skyline including City Hall seen from the back of the U.S. District Court. ] GLEN STUBBE • glen.stubbe@startribune.com Mon

Lawsuit questions Minneapolis' oversight of spending on violence prevention

The suit says the city used an illegal process to arbitrarily award millions of dollars.
Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan is greeted by supporters as he arrives with his wife, Grace, and his legal team Monday, April 29, 2024, at the

Supporters, detractors briefly face off as trooper makes court appearance

Ryan Londregan is charged in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop last summer.
Law enforcement vehicles line the streets near Mayview Road and North St. in Minnetonka on Wednesday.

'Officer down': Two deputies injured, 28-year-old man dead after firefight in Minnetonka

The man who died was identified by his father, and officials say the deputies' injuries are not life-threatening.
One of the letter's authors, Sue Abderholden of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota, answers questions from legislators during a hear

Mental health advocates: Virtual hearings may harm Minnesota's civil commitment process

Several groups, including a state ombudsman, are asking the courts to create an "opt-in" option for remote hearings, rather than making it the default in an often confusing process.
University of Minnesota Police Chief Matt Clark, shown in 2015.

University of Minnesota police will now handle calls near campus, as MPD staffing declines

Starting this week, UMPD will respond to all 911 calls in a near-campus area of Dinkytown.
Dr. Michael McGee posed for a picture in 2011.

A wrongful conviction casts doubt on former Ramsey County medical examiner's methods. It's not the first time.

A new lawsuit adds to questions of whether Dr. Michael McGee used sound science to investigate deaths in Minnesota over a career spanning four decades.
Trooper Ryan Londregan, center in maroon tie, stood hand-in-hand with his wife surrounded by security, his lawyers and dozens of supporters, including

Defense attorney: Prosecutors ignored expert in state trooper murder case

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty's Office refuted the allegations, saying attorneys for trooper Ryan Londregan "cherry picked" quotes in a motion filed Monday.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, center, flanked by city and police officials, watches at a Wednesday news conference a video advertisement the city rele

In effort to rebrand policing, Minneapolis unveils 'Imagine Yourself' recruitment campaign

The city is paying marketing firm Accenture $950,000 for the campaign, part of a $7 million grant from the American Rescue Plan.
No one was reported killed or injured in the homeless encampment fire Thursday in Minneapolis at 28th Street and 12th Avenue S.

Large fire destroys south Minneapolis homeless encampment

An investigation into the cause of the fire was underway. Propane tanks could be seen around the camp's remains, and the fire chief said the site's flammability made for a "very dangerous situation."
Members of the Minneapolis Police Department forensics unit worked around the scene of a multi-person shooting Tuesday near the intersection of E. Fra

Four people shot in Minneapolis Tuesday afternoon; 1 dead, 1 critical

A mass shooting took place at a nearby market last August.
Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara speaks to a crowd during a law enforcement community dialogue Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at New Salem Baptist Church

3 juveniles held in Sunday robbery sprees on opposite sides of Minneapolis

Police believe two groups were working in tandem and may be connected to a string of similar crimes earlier this month.
Jacob Swartout, a Sergeant with Savage Police, bumped his fist against the bumper of a fallen officer’s squad car Tuesday outside the Burnsville Pol

In Minnesota, attacks against police are on the rise, especially in domestic assault calls

Reported assaults against police in Minnesota are up 160% from 10 years ago, driven in part by dangerous domestic disturbance calls like the one that ended with two officers and a medic shot to death in Burnsville this week.
Bobbie Alhaqq, the mother of 19-year-old murder victim Corey Elder, paused to wipe a tear as she reads a victims impact statement to the court on Apri

More than 100 apply for early releases under Minnesota's new aiding murder statute

The new law is meant to differentiate punishments between major and lesser participants in a killing. One mother says two women involved in her son's killing shouldn't have qualified.
Judge Kerry Meyer said she has been in quarantine since Monday. DAVID JOLES • david.joles@startribune.com Five of six people involved in a robbery h

Two women involved in 2017 murder released early under revised Minnesota law

Briana Martinson and Megan Cater admitted to putting the robbery-turned-murder into motion, but neither pulled the trigger that killed the man, making them eligible for resentencing.
Trooper Ryan Londregan, center in maroon tie, stood with his wife surrounded by security, his lawyers and supporters, including many officers, as his

Why state trooper's trial in fatal shooting won't be like the others

State trooper Ryan Londregan will be tried under a revised use-of-deadly-force statute by a prosecutor who is facing a backlash from Minnesota's law enforcement community.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty speaks about the case during a news conference on Wednesday Jan. 24.

Moriarty seeks to temporarily restrict public access to court filings in trooper deadly force case

The defense says it will oppose the motion, which asks to restrict court filings from public view for two business days.
Baky Mikaele laid flowers on her son Jin Taylor’s grave at a primarily Hmong cemetery in Chisago City on Dec. 16, 2023. Jin, Mikaele’s only child,

As guns claim more kids' lives in Minnesota, one mother searches for answers

Baky Mikaele's 14-year-old son is among nearly 100 juveniles killed by firearms in recent years — a surge not seen for decades.
Police tape was crumpled on the ground on 29th Street near S. Colfax Avenue in Minneapolis.

In Minneapolis, police staffing levels continued to drop in 2023. So did crime.

Criminologists say police staffing is only one factor in a vast and complicated universe of what drives crime trends in the U.S.

Shooting at northeast Minneapolis Quarry shopping center leaves one dead

Police say they arrested a 20-year-old man who stayed on scene.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty speaks while being flanked by attorney Siara Melius and Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley, left to right,

Hennepin County Attorney to require police to disclose more of officers' misconduct history

Mary Moriarty sent a letter to police chiefs in Hennepin County on announcing a new "Brady" policy.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, left, Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette and Michael Simon, chief strategy officer for Zencity,

New city-funded ads ask residents: How are Minneapolis police doing?

The city will pay $500,000 over the next three years to Zencity Technologies to implement the "community perception survey," which will appear in targeted ads.

Police: Women say they were drugged at Dinkytown bar

One told police they began feeling ill after someone gave them a drink at Blarney Pub & Grill.

Minneapolis drive-by homicide victim ID'd as 20-year-old

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has identified the victim as Ty'Shawn Maurice Lyons of Rochester.

Man shot to death in north Minneapolis apartment complex ID'd

Donald Edmondson, 60, died of a gunshot wound to the chest.
A recovered 2012 Hyundai Elantra in Berkeley, Calif. .

As police struggle to rein in car theft, Hennepin County Attorney's Office tries new path

Hennepin County is on track to end the year with case clearance for auto thefts at 2.7%, far below the 2022 national average of 9%.
Minneapolis man alleges excessive force, unlawful arrest in lawsuit against two police officers

Minneapolis man alleges excessive force, unlawful arrest in lawsuit against two police officers

Police body-camera video shows one of the officers shove Minneapolis man Said Abdullahi to the street. The officers claimed he 'lost his footing.'

Two men gunned down in Minneapolis this week ID'd

Teegan James Charles Wenzel, 21, of Byron, and Laterryon O'mar Moore, 22, of Minneapolis, were both homicide victims, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
Automatic sliding doors close the entrance to the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, where Wilfred was sentenced Thursday.

Coon Rapids man sent to prison for bilking seniors out of millions in romance scam

Solomon E. Wilfred participated on a sophisticated scam to target lonely seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic and drain their bank accounts.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, left, and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara announced an agreement over funding police retention and recruitment inc

Minneapolis, police union reach tentative agreement on bonuses to rebuild ranks

The agreement, which needs City Council approval, would pay $18,000 to eligible police officers in three installments over the next two and a half years, as well as $15,000 incentives bonuses for new hires.
The Minneapolis City skyline, including City Hall, as seen from the back of the U.S. District Court.

Lawsuit: Minneapolis' violence prevention office used illegal process to award millions in grant money

The civil suit asks a judge to suspend programs funded by the Neighborhood Safety Office "before more public funds are improperly spent."

Medical examiner IDs man found shot to death in driver's seat of car in Minneapolis

Jaden Malik Anand Hollman, 21, died from a gunshot wound of the head, according to the medical examiner.

Victim of fatal shooting in Minneapolis last weekend identified; no arrests made

The medical examiner says 49-year-old Omar Lamont Brown died from a shot to the abdomen Saturday.
From left, Lt. Anna Hedberg, vice president of the Police Officers’ Federation of Minneapolis; Sgt. Sherral Schmidt, president of the federation; an

Mpls. negotiators reject police union's proposal for one-year contract as not 'fiscally responsible'

The federation agreed to some changes, but asked to start paying retention bonuses to officers sooner.
The Minnesota Correctional Facility in Lino Lakes.

Corrections Department identifies victim of suspected homicide in Lino Lakes prison

Steve Paul Patchen, 63, was found unresponsive on Oct. 5. Authorities have placed a suspect into segregation pending an investigation.
Winston Boogie Smith

Winston Smith filmed his final moments, but BCA never found the footage

Sources say the new evidence has been discovered more than two years after the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension closed the case on the fatal shooting by a U.S. Marshals Service task force.
Isadore “Kid Cann” Blumenfeld’s 1933 mugshot, taken after he was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of an Oklahoma oil baron. Cann was a

How did Kid Cann become Minneapolis' most infamous gangster?

Isadore "Kid Cann" Blumenfeld rode Prohibition to wealth and influence in the city.
Minneapolis gained a foothold this summer in its fight to bring down violent crime.

After three violent years, crime is dropping in Minneapolis

Violent crime — murder, aggravated assault, rape and robbery — is down 12% overall from last year to its lowest point of the 2020s so far, the data show. Only a record-breaking surge in auto thefts bucks the pattern.
Jeffrey Thomas, who lives nearby recounts witnessing the mass shooting the night before outside Minneapolis Market on Monday, Aug. 21. Eight people we

Police press search for 'multiple suspects' connected to weekend mass shooting in Mpls.

Eight people, including six teenagers, were injured in the shooting.
Ehsan Karam glanced at victim Holly Appell as he was fingerprinted after he was sentenced to two years in jail at the Orange County Courthouse on Thur

Twin Cities man accused of using sexual fetish as pretext for abuse pleads guilty in Fla. case

Ehsan Karam, whose story was featured in a Star Tribune investigation, has faced accusations of assault from several other women in the world of bondage, dominance, submission and sadomasochism.
“We are outraged whenever our children are victimized by senseless violence,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Wednesday.

Police: Shooting that wounded two children in Minneapolis was not random

"This shooting does not appear to be random," police said. They do not consider the wounds to be life-threatening.
Ramsey County Sheriff’s Investigator Kyle Williams, with the department’s Carjacking and Auto Thefts (CAT) unit, looked for evidence after assisti

As St. Paul reins in car thefts, Minneapolis faces record surge

About 4,700 vehicles were reported stolen across Minneapolis so far this year, averaging 24 a day — a 70% increase from this time last year.

DNA from disposable cup leads to charges in 1984 Minneapolis murder

Matthew Russell Brown, 66, is charged with murder and burglary for the slaying.

Authorities identify Canadian scuba diver found dead in St. Louis County

Justin James Cyril Swan's diving partner pulled him out of the water, but lifesaving efforts were not successful, according to authorities.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara spoke at a news conference Monday at Minneapolis City Hall.

MPD chief: I 'could have been clearer' in comments about officer's stun-gun incident

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara responded to emails showing he knew about the officer's past assault accusations before hiring him.

Charges: Minneapolis man shot and killed rival after seeing him with ex-girlfriend on July 4

Ryan Deshawn Taylor, 41, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder.