MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Three suspects were indicted Thursday in connection with the Dec. 23 shooting at the Mall of America that killed 19-year-old Jonte Hudson of St. Paul inside the mall’s Nordstrom store. .
18-year-old Taeshawn Adams Wright of Minneapolis was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault, and two 17-year-olds were charged with second-degree rioting.
Police Chief Booker Hodges said two other people were arrested on December 24 in connection with the shooting but have yet to be charged because some suspects refused to cooperate with the investigation. told the Star Tribune.
“We expect to see additional arrests and criminal charges related to this case in the near future,” Hodges said. “Our efforts to arrest all those responsible for this incident will not stop.”
Police said it led to a shootout between two groups of young people at a shopping mall on December 23.
According to the allegations, Hudson was shot eight times in the men’s section of Nordstrom and died. Police found a shell case near Hudson’s body and a .40 caliber firearm “determined to be associated with” Hudson.
Frightened customers rushed to safety, The country’s largest shopping center has been shut down On the last day of the holiday shopping season.
Mall spokesperson Laura Utecht said metal detectors were added to the mall’s north entrance in October during a testing phase, but they weren’t working during the most recent shootings. Other security features have been introduced such as cameras, K9, bike patrols and plainclothes police.