A cop on the block not always a safe bet?

Ty Reed had no qualms telling his loud partying neighbors across the street in south Minneapolis to pipe down late Wednesday.

"Somebody told him, 'OK, no problem,'" his wife, Ann Reed, recalled Friday, pointing to a house being rented by a Minneapolis police officer.

Just moments after Reed returned home, he was startled to hear as many as 10 gunshots, apparently fired from a speeding vehicle driven by partygoers, his wife said.

He quickly called the police. Now, two off-duty Minneapolis cops are on paid leave after allegedly firing their guns outside the party. Their names have not been released pending criminal and internal investigations, police spokesman Sgt. Bill Palmer said Friday.

But on the usually quiet block of 4200 Wentworth Avenue S., residents were still wondering what happened.

Friday, Ann Reed sat in her garden with longtime neighbor Sue Forsman.

"It all happened so fast," Ann Reed said. Her husband, who was headed on a business trip the next day, "just wanted to tell them to keep quiet. He didn't want all of this to happen."

"But I don't think much will happen to them anyway," Forsman said. "Fortunately, nobody got hurt."

Both said they were initially happy to learn that a police officer moved into their neighborhood six weeks ago. Now, the two women, who each have lived on the block for more than 30 years, have their doubts.

They're not alone. Another neighbor, Linda Cohen, wants police to send a strong message if one of their own committed such reckless behavior.

"I realize police officers are regular folks, but I hold them to a higher standard when it comes to being law-abiding citizens," Cohen said. "I'd love to have a chat with them. I'd ask them without hesitation: 'What were you thinking?'"