'Public Nuisance' Investigation Opens On Gas Station And Liquor Store

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has opened a civil investigation into whether Merwin Liquors and nearby Winner Gas Station in Minneapolis "are maintaining or permitting an unlawful public nuisance on their properties."

The Star Tribune described the intersection between near the two businesses as "one of the city’s largest open-air drug bazaars."

"I’m using the power of my office to take new approaches to stemming the epidemic of gun violence. Like we have done to keep tenants safe from problem property-owners, we are applying the law in ways it’s not commonly been applied before to solve persistent problems and keep people safe," Ellison said in a news release.

"Companies or properties that turn a blind eye to gun violence and other threats to public safety happening on their premises need to know we are watching and will act. Keeping people and communities safe takes everyone, so I encourage anyone with concerns about these businesses to come forward."

According to the attorney general, both locations have been the sites of numerous acts of gun violence. On Sept. 2, four people were shot outside Merwin Liquors, and on Sept. 8, four different people were shot nears Winners, according to authorities.

In a letter to Merwin Liquors, Ellison states that his office "has received information that Merwin permits gambling and gambling-related activity on its premises."

In a similar letter to Winner, Ellison writes that "numerous sources of information indicate that Winner has been the site of repeated unlawful use, sale, possession, storage, and delivery of controlled substances, as well as the site of repeated unlawful use or possession of dangerous weapons."

The attorney general’s office, is working with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in the investigation. Ellison is also asking for input from local residents, who can voice their concerns by calling (651) 296-3353.