Several Marcy-Holmes residents had their homes burglarized last week, according to Minneapolis police reports.

But burglaries across the 2nd Precinct, which includes Marcy-Holmes and the University of Minnesota, are down nearly 14 percent from last year.

Someone broke into art history senior Emily Hoyt’s duplex on Fourth Street Southeast on June 20 and stole her roommate’s laptop.

Hoyt said it’s the third break-in to the building this year. The suspect came in through an unlocked window, and Hoyt said she might have been inside at the time.

“I remember hearing someone come in,” she said, but she assumed it was her roommate.

Another one of Hoyt’s roommates had a laptop stolen last fall when someone pried open the back door with a crowbar, Hoyt said.

Marketing senior Nate Freeman’s house on 13th Avenue Southeast was burglarized over the weekend.

Freeman said he and his six roommates spent the weekend in Wisconsin. When they got back, his laptop and charger were gone.

“It would have been pretty easy to get in” to the house, Freeman said, because the lock on the front door is broken. Freeman said someone left a shirt on his bed over the weekend, as well.

“I don’t know if he took off his shirt and put on one of mine,” he said.

University alumnus Nate Anderson, who worked at the Minnesota Daily as a marketing coordinator until December, had his laptop stolen from his house on Seventh Street Southeast sometime between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon.

Anderson was visiting his family and left his window open because his house doesn’t have air conditioning. When he got back Monday afternoon, he saw someone had cut open the window screen.

Cyndi Barrington, Minneapolis police public information officer, said it’s important for people to keep their windows and doors locked — even during hot summer months.

Unsecure openings are “very inviting to criminals,” she said. “It’s easy access to your home.”

Keeping outside areas well-lit can also help deter burglars, Barrington said.

Gunshots or fireworks

Minneapolis police got two calls reporting gunshots on University and Sixth avenues southeast early Tuesday morning.

Reports of gunshots are “fairly uncommon” in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, said Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer.

But the residents may have heard fireworks because of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, and Palmer said police have no way of telling the difference between fireworks and gunshots if they’re only responding to calls.

Police have found evidence of a discharged weapon six times in the 2nd Precinct this year, Palmer said.

iPad, gift cards never returned

An associate professor of medicine reported an iPad and $300 worth of Target gift cards stolen on Friday, according to a University police report.

The professor was overseeing a study and hired a University student to conduct interviews with research subjects, said University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner. The student was supposed to give the items to subjects for their participation.

After the suspected student stopped coming to work in April, the professor tried to contact her several times but the student said she was out of state for the summer.

Miner said it’s not clear if the gift cards and iPad were University property but added he’d be very surprised if the professor had paid for them out of pocket.

Theft from Jackson Hall

A University of Minnesota researcher had his laptop and backpack stolen from Jackson Hall on June 18.

Song Lou is a biological researcher at the University. He said he was working in a lab on the third floor ofJackson Hall when a man came in and said someone was looking for him upstairs.

The people upstairs told Lou they weren’t looking for him. When he came back to the lab, his laptop, backpack and the man were gone.

Miner said nobody saw the man take Lou’s things, but it’s likely he committed the crime.

University police have dealt with 145 thefts so far this year, according to the most recent data. That’s down from 208 thefts last year at this time.