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Minneapolis man accused of making threats against Temple Israel: Charges

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Minneapolis man accused of making threats against Temple Israel: Charges


A Minneapolis man is accused of making terroristic threats against a local synagogue, Temple Israel. 

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Jaden Thomas Leblanc, 21, has been charged with three counts of terrorisitic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault. 

READ MORE: MPD arrests man for alleged Temple Israel threats, extra patrols announced

Timeline of threats

According to the charges, on Sept. 9, around 2:30 p.m. Leblanc was reportedly seen walking through the Temple Israel parking lot, and was seen drinking a beer and eventually threw the bottle against the wall of Temple Israel’s playground. 

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A security guard at the synagogue tried to get Leblanc’s attention as he was walking away, when he turned around and “flipped off” the guard and continued to walk away. 

Around 15 minutes later, Leblanc returned to Temple Israel, and when he was told to leave the property he made a “gun gesture” with both of his hands, towards the security team, court documents say. 

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At the same time, one of the security guards tried to ask Leblanc why he broke the beer bottle on the Temple’s playground wall, but Leblanc allegedly “flipped off” the security guard again, made gun gestures with his hands again, and verbally threatened to shoot and kill the security guard. 

The charges say that Leblanc was then told he was trespassed from the Temple’s property. 

In the afternoon of Sept. 10, Leblanc returned to the Temple, and was seen drinking beer near the northside of the Temple’s parking lot. He then threw the bottle into the parking lot. 

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A security guard picked up the bottle and brought it to Leblanc, telling him to throw away his bottles in the trash and not on the Temple’s property, court documents say. 

Leblanc picked up the bottle and reportedly threw it at the security guard’s head, but missed. Leblanc then advanced at the security guard, and the guard used his pepper spray to prevent the attack, court documents said. 

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Threatening calls

Temple Israel then received three threatening phone calls, with one referencing the pepper spray attack. The caller stated that his brother had been pepper sprayed by a security guard, and then made various threats to the security guard on the phone, court documents said. 

The third call prompted the Temple to go on lockdown, and all the children were brought in from the playground. The caller stated that he was gathering a group to “come for them” and threatened retaliation for the pepper spray incident, the charges allege. 

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Leblanc’s arrest

On Oct. 3, Temple security told Minneapolis police Leblanc was standing across the street from the Temple possibly holding a handgun, court documents state. 

Leblanc was reportedly seen switching the gun between his hands and put it in his shirt pocket. When the police arrived, Leblanc fled the area. 

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On Oct. 4, police set up surveillance near Temple Israel to locate Leblanc, charges say. He was seen getting into a car, and police initiated a stop, and Leblanc was taken into custody. 

Leblanc allegedly admitted to making several calls to the Temple using a “spoofing application” on his phone, court documents said. He also recounted throwing a rock, a bottle and getting maced. Leblanc told investigators that he has “no issue” with the Jewish community or faith, just with the security guards. 

He is currently in custody, and has his first court appearance on Oct. 8.

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What they’re saying

“Mr. Leblanc’s behavior caused fear and concern amongst the Temple Israel community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “While the evidence available at this time does not suggest that this crime was motivated by bias against the Jewish community, every member of our community deserves to feel safe. We will seek accountability for Mr. Leblanc that ensures community safety.”

Increased patrols

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MPD said after meeting with members of the Jewish community, it developed a plan to enhance patrols around synagogues and community centers during the Jewish holy days and the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.



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Minneapolis man is third convicted in Coon Rapids triple murder

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Minneapolis man is third convicted in Coon Rapids triple murder


An Anoka County jury has found guilty the last of three defendants in last year’s fatal shootings of a woman, her son and husband after he and two accomplices posed as UPS delivery drivers and went into the family’s Coon Rapids home looking for money.

Omari Malik Shumpert (Courtesy of the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office)

Omari Malik Shumpert, 20, of Minneapolis, was convicted Friday in Anoka County District Court of three counts of aiding and abetting first-degree murder in the Jan. 26, 2024, killings of Shannon Patricia Jungwirth, 42, her son Jorge Alexander Reyes-Jungwirth, 20, and her husband, Mario Alberto Trejo Estrada, 39.

Shumpert fatally shot Estrada after he fought back, prosecutors said.

He’s scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 9, a day after his older brother Demetrius Trenton Shumpert will go before a judge for sentencing.

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Jurors previously convicted Demetrius Shumpert, 33, of Minneapolis, and Alonzo Pierre Mingo, who prosecutors said orchestrated the robbery plan and pulled the trigger in the killings of Jungwirth and Reyes-Jungwirth.

Mingo, 39, of Fridley, was sentenced to life in prison in September.

Mingo, a former UPS seasonal employee, wore his old uniform while carrying a box to convince Jungwirth that he was delivering a package, prosecutors said.

Several surveillance cameras were mounted throughout the house in the 200 block of 94th Avenue Northwest. Video showed Demetrius Shumpert and Mingo forcing Jungwirth to open credenza drawers while demanding money.

All three victims were shot in the head, and two of the killings were on video. Two small children, both under the age of 5, were also in the home at the time of the killings but not injured.

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Court records said Estrada was suspected of drug trafficking and that law enforcement was on his trail in the days leading up to the killings. Afterward, investigators searched a Golden Valley storage unit that Estrada had rented under a false name and seized three bags of white powder, seven bags of psilocybin mushrooms, three bags of marijuana and a bag of meth, according to a search warrant affidavit.



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Minneapolis College teams up with Toys for Tots to provide holiday gifts for student parents

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Minneapolis College teams up with Toys for Tots to provide holiday gifts for student parents


For many student parents at Minneapolis College, the holiday season arrives during one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year.

Final exams, work schedules and family responsibilities often collide in December. This week, a Toys for Tots giveaway on campus offered some relief.

The college partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program to provide gifts exclusively for student parents. School officials say more than 145 student parents signed up for the event, representing nearly 270 children.

Veronica Krawiec is a nursing student at Minneapolis College and the mother of a young son, Christopher. She said balancing school, work and parenting can be overwhelming, especially around the holidays.

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Krawiec said she was able to find a Lego set her son specifically asked for this Christmas, something she was not sure she would be able to afford on her own.

She said the support she receives on campus has made a significant difference, pointing to resources like the Student Support Center and food pantry. Krawiec said those services help her focus on school without feeling ashamed for asking for help.

“As a mom most of the time I feel like I’m failing but like this this helps me a lot to not feel as bad,” she said.

Sharita Jackson, a first semester addiction counseling student and single mother of two, also attended the giveaway. She said resources like the Toys for Tots event help ease some of the pressure that comes with being a student parent.

Minneapolis College staff say the need among student parents has grown this year, in some cases doubling. The college estimates nearly 20% of its students are parents, and more than 70% of students identify as Indigenous or people of color, international, low income or first generation.

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In addition to holiday giveaways, the college offers a Student Parent Center, a food pantry, basic needs support and access to housing, financial and veterans resources. Staff say those services are designed to help students stay enrolled and succeed while raising families.

College officials say events like the Toys for Tots giveaway help reduce stress during the holidays and allow student parents to focus on finishing the semester strong.



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ICE agents clash with dozens of residents in streets of South Minneapolis

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ICE agents clash with dozens of residents in streets of South Minneapolis



A tense situation developed in South Minneapolis Monday afternoon, where dozens of residents confronted ICE agents operating in the streets near Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue, not far from the Karmel Mall.

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WCCO reporter Esme Murphy was also on the scene and reported that chemical irritant had been deployed. Murphy and a WCCO photographer were among those who were hit with the irritant.

Murphy reported seeing at least three people in handcuffs, but it was not immediately clear for what reason they were being detained. The scene seemed to have cleared by 2:30 p.m.

Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies were observed at the scene. Local law enforcement have been deployed to control crowds since the Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in recent weeks. One of the recent ICE operations in the metro area was a raid at a construction site in Chanhassen over the weekend.

The Karmel Mall is the nation’s first Somali shopping center. The enhanced ICE actions came just after President Trump said, “I don’t want [Somalis] in our country” and claimed Somalis are “completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota.”

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Few other details were immediately available, but WCCO crews on the scene noted that many of those protesting against ICE were using whistles, which in many prior confrontations have been used to try to warn neighbors that ICE agents were in the vicinity.

This story is developing and will be updated.





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