Rashad May pleads guilty to role in shooting at Mall of America Nike store
MINNEAPOLIS -- A man entered a guilty plea on Tuesday for his role in a shooting at a Mall of America store last summer.
Rashad May, 23, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender to avoid arrest in connection to the August shooting near the Nike store on the mall's second floor.
The court dismissed the charge against him of second degree-assault with a deadly weapon.
Shamar Lark, 21, of Burnsville, is believed to be the gunman and is also facing felony charges of second-degree assault, reckless discharge of a dangerous weapon, and possessing a pistol without a permit.
Bloomington police say Lark and May were with a group that got into a fight with another group at the Nike checkout counter on Aug 4. Lark and May's group left the store, but the two returned, with May allegedly goading Lark to open fire on the other men who were still inside.
Both Lark and May fled the mall, and criminal charges filed shortly after the incident allege that three people aided the men by helping them escape the area using a Best Western hotel shuttle bus.
No one was hurt in the shooting, which triggered panic among shoppers and led to an hours-long lockdown of the mall.
Lark and May were extradited from Chicago only a week after the incident.
May's sentencing is scheduled for June 27. He is facing up to seven years in prison.
