Victor Edwards Convicted Of Riot, Arson Charges For Fueling Fire Inside Target HQ During Unrest
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A federal jury convicted a St. Paul man Thursday for helping fuel a fire inside Target headquarters during unrest in downtown Minneapolis last August.
The jury found 32-year-old Victor Edwards guilty of one riot count and one arson count, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota.
The attorney's office said trial evidence showed Edwards on Aug. 26, 2020, in a large crowd that had gathered following false rumors of a police shooting on Nicollet Mall.
"Throughout the course of the evening, Edwards engaged in acts of rioting, looting, and other property damage," the attorney's office said.
Surveillance footage showed Edwards and another man, Shador Tommie Cortez Jackson, breaking into the Target corporate building with a construction sign just before 11 p.m.
The attorney's office said Jackson started a fire in the mailroom, and Edwards "added a liquid accelerant" to the blaze.