3 charged with aiding an offender in MOA shooting; suspects still at large
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Three people have been charged with aiding an offender for their alleged roles in helping the suspects in a shooting at the Mall of America last week evade arrest.
Delyanie Arnold, 23, Selena Raghubir, 23, and Denesh Raghubir, 21, each face one count of aiding an offender to avoid arrest, according to Hennepin County court documents.
Criminal complaints allege the three helped two men escape the Mall of America after one of the men fired multiple shots inside a Nike store last Thursday around 4:15 p.m. Those complaints also identify the two men -- Shamar Lark, 21, and Rashad May, 23.
The incident began with a fight inside the store allegedly involving Lark and May. The complaint states Lark and May briefly left the store before Lark came back and shot several times. There were no reported injuries.
Complaints state May called Arnold two minutes after the shooting, and Arnold called him five times in a three-minute span after that.
Arnold also called Selena Raghubir, his girlfriend and an assistant manager at the Best Western hotel near the mall. The complaint alleges Denesh Raghubir, Selena's cousin and an employee at the Best Western, drove a hotel shuttle to pick up Lark and May from the mall, then delivered them to a vehicle matching one registered to his cousin.
The Best Western Plus Bloomington Hotel told WCCO it "strongly condemns any act of violence" and that Selena and Denesh Raghubir were fired.
The BWH Hotel Group released the following statement:
"We are deeply saddened by the violence that took place at the Mall of America last week and our thoughts are with the Minneapolis community. Noting this hotel is independently owned and operated, we support the hotel's decision to immediately terminate the employees who were allegedly involved in this terrible event. The actions of these employees stand in stark contrast to our brand's values and the sense of community that is at the heart of our hotel family."
The day after the shooting, police searched the residence of Arnold and Selena Raghubir. According to the complaint, they found clothing matching what Lark and May were seen wearing on surveillance footage.
The complaint also alleges cell phone records place May at the residence after the shooting.
Selena and Denesh Raghubir, as well as Arnold, are in custody. Lark and May are still at large.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said his department "is not going to rest until we lock these two up."
"You cannot come shoot up a mall and think that you're going to get away with it," he said. "We're not going to allow that to happen."
The mall went into lockdown for nearly two hours during the initial investigation. The mall was closed for the rest of the evening and reopened Friday morning. Mall of America Vice President Dan Jasper says guests can expect to see an increase in security staffing and law enforcement partners.
Following the shooting, there was a large police presence for hours outside of the Best Western hotel.
