1 Teen Arrested In Mall Of America Shooting Released From Jail Without Charges
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One of the teenagers arrested in connection to the New Year's Eve shooting at the Mall of America was released from jail without being charged.
Online jail records show the 19-year-old man who was arrested Sunday in Roseville for aiding and abetting was released Wednesday afternoon from the Hennepin County Jail. The man, of St. Paul, has not been charged by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
The attorney's office says based on available evidence, it appeared the shooter acted independently. Due to insufficient evidence to prove the 19-year-old aided the shooter, the office declined to file charges against the man.
Meanwhile, the suspected gunman remains behind bars. The 18-year-old suspect was arrested Tuesday, also in Roseville, at a home where investigators found a gun.
While both of the suspects' names have been released, WCCO-TV does not typically name suspects until they've been formally charged.
The shooting at the Mall of America happened around 5 p.m. Friday on the mall's third floor. The gunfire triggered a lockdown, sending shoppers looking for shelter inside stores or scrambling to get out of the enormous shopping complex.
Investigators say shooting happened following an argument between the gunman and another man. The gunman shot the other man in the leg. A bullet also grazed a bystander.
The man shot in the leg was hospitalized and is recovering. The man grazed was treated by paramedics at the mall.
Police have yet to reveal how they identified and found the suspects, other than to say that they were using the mall's vast surveillance system to find them.
