The Twin Cities had their deadliest year in 2021. Every victim had a story.
They ranged from kindergartners to grandparents, but most were young men.
They were teachers, students, veterinary technicians and mechanics.
Some were victims of stabbings or assaults.
Most died by gun violence.
They were victims of a grim toll: the most annual homicides in the Twin Cities in a generation, perhaps ever.
Who they were
2021 marked the most violent year in the Twin Cities, with 135 homicides occurring in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In St. Paul, 38 people were killed at the hands of another, shattering its previous record of 30. The same year in Minneapolis, 97 people lost their lives to violence, tying a record set in 1995, when the city earned its tag as “Murderapolis.” It's the highest toll since such records began.
But beyond the numbers, they were sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, siblings, colleagues and friends.
For the past six months, the Star Tribune has attempted to tell the stories of those who lost their lives to homicide in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2021 by reaching out to those who knew them best.
In remembrance of the lives they lived, here are their stories.
Click or tap on names below to read their stories.