Second person charged in attack on north Minneapolis homeless shelter
MINNEAPOLIS — A second person is facing charges in an attack on a north Minneapolis homeless shelter after police misidentified the original suspect.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says the 30-year-old man is charged with four counts of second-degree assault, one count of second-degree riot and one count of carrying a firearm without a permit.
According to the complaint, on Sept. 5, the man pointed a gun toward the front door of St. Anne's Place while two victims were standing nearby. He also allegedly fired a gun at an empty car owned by one of the victims.
One of the victims told police she and another victim got into an altercation earlier the same day with a group of women from across the street, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
Charges say during the altercation, the man hit one of the victims in the face and back of the head with a handgun. He also hit a second victim in the back of the head with a gun several times before firing two shots into the air. The victims returned to St. Anne's Place as the group chased them across the street.
An employee at the shelter, who helped the victims close the door during the attack, told police she heard the suspect threaten to shoot women and children, the complaint says.
Surveillance video of the incident shows two people attacking the building with baseball bats, shattering two of its doors. One of those suspects, a 33-year-old woman, was charged with second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon and first-degree property damage.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said police previously misidentified the suspect as another man with a similar physical description, vehicle and relationship with another person facing charges in the attack. Those charges were dismissed after he told investigators his alibi, which was verified.
Hoang Murphy, CEO of People Service People, which runs St. Anne's, said the suspects caused at least $10,000 worth of damage.
Murphy says St. Anne's houses 16 families with a total of 54 women and children. All residents were safely moved to another building in the attack's aftermath. The shelter has since hired 24-hour security.
