Man, 36, charged in Minneapolis encampment shootings
MINNEAPOLIS — A 36-year-old man is facing charges in connection with two of the three shootings that happened near a homeless encampment in Minneapolis.
According to court documents, Joshua Jones is charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder.
Charging documents say officers responded Wednesday afternoon to a report of a man shot in the head in an alley near the 2500 block of Bloomington Avenue. Officers provided medical assistance, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A single 9mm discharged cartridge casing was found next to the victim's body.
Officers looked at surveillance camera footage, which showed a man walking down the alley, pulling out a handgun, pointing at the victim's head and shooting him.
Authorities contacted an investigator with the Minnesota Department of Corrections who is familiar with Jones and his appearance. The investigator looked at the footage and identified Jones immediately, according to the charges.
One of the other shootings happened near the intersection of 24th Street and 18th Avenue South around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday. Officers spoke with a man who had been shot in the shoulder. He identified Jones as the man who shot him, according to charges.
The victim said Jones approached him from behind and pointed a firearm at his head, according to charges. The victim jumped back as Jones shot and tried to run. Jones chased after him and shot four more times, hitting the victim once. The victim then ran to a building in a park and said Jones was hesitant to follow.
Officers found Jones, of Bemidji, just after 7:30 p.m. in the area where the shooting occurred and arrested him at gunpoint.
Charges say officers found four 9mm discharged cartridge casings at the scene. On Friday, forensic scientists examined the casings and discovered they matched the features of the single casing recovered from the alley behind Bloomington Avenue.
Jones is under investigation for another fatal shooting that happened Wednesday morning, but has not been charged, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
He is also charged with two counts of possession of ammo/any firearm by a person convicted/adjudicated delinquent for crimes of violence.
According to the charges, Jones is in a criminal street gang in Minnesota called Native Mob. He's previously been convicted of multiple counts of second-degree and third-degree assault.
Following Wednesday's shootings, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for city staff to speed up the closures of homeless encampments throughout the city.