Minneapolis man charged in shooting near Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Labor Day

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. —  A 19-year-old Minneapolis man has been charged in the shooting of three teens near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Labor Day.

The man is charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of drive-by shooting toward a person, according to the criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County on Oct. 23.

At 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 2, officers were called to Dugsi Academy at 1085 Snelling Avenue North in St. Paul on reports of a shooting.

Upon arrival, officers found a teen boy suffering from 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 toward the train tracks to escape the gunfire and thought he had blown out his knee, but he quickly learned a bullet had struck him.

The boy told police he did not see who was shooting and had been at the nearby Minnesota State Fair shortly before.

Officers later learned two more teens had been shot and were transported to different area hospitals. The criminal complaint says both victims told police they did not have any issues with anyone and were unsure who would have shot them.

A total of 53 spent casings were found beneath the Snelling Avenue bridge to the east of Dugsi Academy, charges say. An analysis found the casings came from three different guns.

Surveillance video allegedly shows several people exiting a blue sedan before firing their guns from the street and gravel area by nearby train tracks. The suspects then get back into the sedan before leaving the area.

A few hours later, deputies were called to a gas station in Little Canada for a drive-by shooting. Charges say surveillance video showed a blue sedan go out of view shortly before shots rang out. Five more casings from two different guns were recovered from the gas station. Further analysis revealed the casings matched that of those recovered from the shooting near the fairgrounds.

Investigators learned the blue sedan had been involved in a weapons incident on Aug. 27 where three men pulled a gun on security in Minneapolis. The sedan is owned by the man facing charges 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.