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Gunfire on Church Grounds, Zero Arrests: The Meridan Group Demands Edina Say Whether the Our Lady of Grace Shooting Is Being Investigated as a Hate Crime
The Meridan Group
Friday, September 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM · 3 min read
For Immediate ReleaseThe Meridan GroupEdina, Minn. · Sept. 25, 2026
Gunfire at Our Lady of Grace marks Edina’s second unsolved shooting since July. The community is demanding answers. And arrests.
2
Shootings since July
0
Suspects identified
$50K
Reward staked
EDINA, Minn. (Sept. 25, 2026) — On the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 22, a group in a vehicle opened fire with handguns on teenagers playing basketball at Our Lady of Grace Church on Eden Avenue, then fled. By grace alone, no one was hurt.
This was a church campus that hosts a school, and it was full of young people on a weeknight. Children were put at risk, and that falls on the leadership of Edina.
Two months. Two shootings. Zero answers.
July 2026 — Yancey Park
Gunfire erupts during a large gathering and strikes a nearby home. Shooter still unidentified, despite a $5,000 reward from the Edina First Responders Fund.
Sept. 22, 2026 — Our Lady of Grace Church
Handgun fire from a vehicle at teenagers on the basketball court. Church campus with a school. Shooters fled. No arrests.
It is not an isolated event. That $5,000 reward is laughable for what is at stake. Stephen D. Thomas, founder and platform architect of The Meridan Group, has staked $50,000 of his own money to find the shooters still at large.
This is Edina.
Edina was, for generations, the kind of conservative, quiet, well-run suburb families moved to on purpose. Good schools. Safe parks. Church on Sunday and a pickup game on Tuesday night without a second thought. People paid a premium to live here precisely because they would never have to think about gunfire.
That Edina is not gone. But it is being tested, and the people running the city are acting like nothing has changed.
Two shootings at family gathering places in two months, and the official response has been a $5,000 reward and silence. Residents did not sign up for that. They deserve a city government that treats a church parking lot and a neighborhood park with the seriousness those places demand.
Fast response.
No results.
Edina Police responded in under a minute, and The Meridan Group commends that response. But two unsolved shootings at family gathering places in two months demand more than fast response times. They demand results and public accountability.
The Meridan Group calls on the City of Edina and the Edina Police Department to:
01
Release regular, specific updates on both investigations.
Including whether the two incidents may be connected. Release the descriptions of the suspects. This is normal practice.
02
Say whether this is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
And if it has been ruled out, explain how. Gunfire on church grounds demands that answer.
03
Expand the reward to cover the Our Lady of Grace shooting.
The founder of The Meridan Group currently faces false charges, and the Edina Police Department has yet to comment.
04
Work with every religious campus and school in Edina.
On security for evening activities, before the next weeknight game.
“
When bullets fly on church grounds, the words ‘hate crime’ have to be on the table. Edina Police owe this community a clear answer on whether they’ve investigated that possibility, and why they reached the conclusion they did.
Families in Edina should not have to wonder whether a church parking lot or a city park is safe on a Tuesday night. Our police moved fast. Now we need arrests, and we need the city to be straight with residents about what’s happening.
— Stephen D. Thomas · Founder & Platform Architect, The Meridan Group
$50,000 Reward · Have information or video?
Anyone with information or video related to either shooting should come forward now.
About The Meridan Group
The Meridan Group is an independent digital news network covering the communities of the Upper Midwest and beyond. Its publications, including MN Current, Gopher Current, Badger Current, Bison Current, Gator Current, Golden Gate Current, Longhorn Current and The Meridan Report, deliver local news through hundreds of city editions across Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Florida, California and Texas. The Meridan Group is committed to keeping residents informed about the issues that affect their families, neighborhoods and public safety. Learn more at meridanreport.com.
Media Contact: [email protected]
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Source: FOX 9, “Edina shooting: Gunfire erupts at Our Lady of Grace Church during basketball game,” Sept. 23, 2026. fox9.com
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