Two men who were “paid taxpayer money to bring peace to Minneapolis” are now facing federal gun charges.
Alvin Anthony Watkins, Jr., 50, of Saint Anthony, and Kashmir Khaliffa McReynolds, 35, of Minneapolis, were indicted in a three-count indictment unsealed Friday.
The indictment charges Watkins with felon in possession of a firearm and McReynolds with disposing of a firearm to a convicted felon and possession of firearm while employed for a prohibited person.
Watkins and McReynolds were also charged in state court in March, Crime Watch Minneapolis previously reported. Both men worked for Rev. Jerry McAfee and his nonprofit organization 21 Days of Peace, a “violence interrupter” group founded in the months following the death of George Floyd.
McAfee’s group has received millions of dollars in funding from sources including the Minnesota Legislature and the City of Minneapolis to carry out so-called violence prevention activities. McAfee is also the pastor at New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in north Minneapolis and gave a shout out to Minneapolis gangs during George Floyd’s funeral.
“The people of north Minneapolis deserve peace,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “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.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
On the night of Monday, March 10, after finishing their shifts for 21 Days of Peace, Watkins and McReynolds recklessly fired approximately 43 bullets into the dark, in a residential neighborhood in north Minneapolis.
Gunshots were fired at McReynolds and Watkins by an unknown, never-seen shooter. After this initial hail of gunfire from the unknown shooter, no additional gunfire was fired at McReynolds and Watkins. 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.
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.
Watkins and McReynolds made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court Friday.
“Armed violence will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The reckless and deliberate use of firearms endangers lives and fuels fear in our communities. The FBI, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota and our law enforcement partners, is fully committed to identifying, investigating, and holding accountable violent offenders who believe they can operate above the law.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
