FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — A 19-year-old Minneapolis man has been charged shooting of three teenagers near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Labor Day.
The man is charged with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of drive-by shooting of a person, according to the indictment filed Oct. 23 in Ramsey County.
On September 2 at 10:20 p.m., officers were called to Dugsi Academy at 1085 Snelling Avenue North in St. Paul for reports of a shooting.
Upon arrival, officers found a teenage boy with a gunshot wound to his leg. He told police he had been walking to a friend’s car in the parking lot when he heard gunshots. He said he ran to the train tracks to escape the gunfire and thought he had blown out his knee, but he soon discovered that a bullet had hit him.
The boy told police he did not see who was shooting and that he had recently been at the nearby Minnesota State Fair.
Officers later learned that two more teens had been shot and transported to various area hospitals. The complaint states that both victims told police they had no problems with anyone and were unsure who shot them.
A total of 53 spent shell casings were found under the Snelling Avenue bridge east of Dugsi Academy, the complaint said. Analysis showed that the shell casings came from three different weapons.
Surveillance video reportedly shows several people exiting a blue sedan before firing their guns from the street and gravel area near nearby train tracks. The suspects then get back into the sedan before leaving the area.
A few hours later, officers were called to a gas station in Little Canada for a drive-by shooting. According to the complaint, surveillance video showed a blue sedan disappearing from view moments before shots rang out. Five more shell casings from two different weapons were found at the gas station. Further investigation revealed that the shell casings matched those recovered from the shooting near the fairgrounds.
Investigators learned the blue sedan was involved in a weapons incident on August 27 where three men pulled a gun during security in Minneapolis. The sedan is owned by the man suspected in the shooting.
Using license plate readers and phone location data, police were able to place the suspect in the area of both shootings around the time they occurred.
