Twin Cities weekend crime recap

Minneapolis recorded its sixth mass shooting this month, a man who was arrested in a bomb threat at the University of Minnesota was released from jail, 362 grams of fentanyl were recovered in Wadena County, and more.

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Crime Watch MN
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Logan David Slack, Fotini Anest West, and Sean Richard Lumley (Dakota County Jail)

Minneapolis police responded to a shooting Thursday morning that resulted in another homicide for the city. Police were dispatched just before 9:20 a.m. on a report of shots heard near 19th and Nicollet Avenue. While en route, police were advised by the dispatcher that the incident had been updated to a shooting, according to dispatch audio. Police arrived and found a victim on the 1900 block of 1st Avenue South.

MPD later issued a press release which said the male victim in his 20s had died as a result of the shooting which occurred near Groveland Avenue and Nicollet Avenue. The male who was shot then ran to the location where police found him. No one had been arrested at the time of the incident. The decedent was identified by the medical examiner on Monday morning as Brenell Michael Green, 24, of St. Paul.

There had been another shooting in the same area a week ago Saturday, just five days prior to Thursday’s homicide. There have also been numerous reports of shots fired at the location since spring.

Ahmed Mohamed Umar, 36, of Minneapolis was charged on Thursday in Hennepin County with felony threats of violence involving explosives or an incendiary device following a Wednesday evening bomb threat made at Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota campus.

The incident began before 5 p.m. Wednesday when university police were dispatched to Coffman Memorial Union (CMU) for a party who was reportedly making sexual comments and filming students on the second floor, according to dispatch audio. Police arrived and detained the male who then told them he had a bomb. Minneapolis police and their Bomb Squad were requested to the scene, and police began evacuating the building and immediate area. Police gave the all-clear shortly after 6 p.m. after no bomb had been found.

According to charges in the case, a woman told police that Umar had approached her outside a study room inside CMU and asked to hug and kiss her. When the woman rejoined others in the study room, Umar began to film them with his cellphone and made inappropriate comments.

UMPD discovered Umar had an active felony warrant after they took him into custody. When police asked if he had any weapons, Umar told police he had a bomb in his backpack which was sitting nearby.

Umar made his first court appearance on Friday and was granted a public defender. Judicial Officer Lyonel Norris ordered Umar to be conditionally released with no bail required. Umar remained in custody on another county warrant as of Monday morning.

Court records show that Umar has at least four prior convictions for trespassing, on which Umar received stays of imposition in all four cases in Dakota County Court. The four trespassing cases were adjudicated along with a misdemeanor theft case in July of last year. Umar was credited with 34 days already spent in jail in all five of the cases presided over by Judge Tanya O’Brien.

Other court records show that Umar has a pending felony case in Ramsey County on a charge of possession of burglary tools stemming from a January 2021 incident. Umar has twice been found incompetent to stand trial in the case, most recently in July 2022. Despite the finding of incompetence and two prior warrants for failure to appear at hearings, as well as the prosecutor’s previous notice of intent to continue prosecution in the case, Umar was released from custody with zero bail required by Judge Shawn M. Bartch. Subsequent court records show that at least two conditional release violation reports have been generated in the case, one on Aug. 18 and one on Sept. 19, just two days prior to the bomb threat, yet no Ramsey County warrant had been issued, according to court records.

Mounds View police requested the public’s help on Thursday in identifying an armed robbery suspect.

Woodbury police reported that they arrested a suspect following some early morning burglaries last week who was subsequently charged on Thursday. Police were called before 5 a.m. last Tuesday to the 1200 block of Clearwater Drive for a report of an unknown person prowling inside a residential garage. The suspect was gone from the residence when officers arrived.

While searching the area for the suspect, officers came upon another residence that had been burglarized on the 1200 block of Whistler Point. A homeowner at the location indicated to police that one of their vehicles was missing. Woodbury patrol officers and detectives went to work immediately and were able to identify Landin Joseph Darwin, 22, as the suspect. They said Darwin had no permanent address.

Landin Joseph Darwin (Department of Corrections)

Woodbury detectives eventually located Darwin in Maplewood where he was arrested following a brief foot chase.

Darwin was charged on Thursday in Washington County Court with two felonies including first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling and auto theft. Darwin remained in custody Monday on $100,000 bail.

Court records show that Darwin is a repeat offender with at least 10 felony convictions since 2020. Darwin was allowed to serve sentences in several of the cases from three different counties concurrently. Darwin is currently on parole having been released from prison earlier this month.

Police in Oakdale took a man into custody Friday following an hours-long standoff that began around 2:15 a.m. Police said in a statement that they arrived to an address on the 2600 block of Greystone Avenue North and attempted to arrest 51-year-old Anthony Joseph Jansen on a warrant for felony threats of violence. When officers confronted Jansen in his yard, he retreated into the home and returned with what appeared to be a long gun. Police disengaged and Jansen went back inside the house. Police were able to establish phone contact, and with the assistance of negotiators and other Washington County law enforcement agencies, Jansen was finally taken into custody about 12:45 p.m. and was booked into the Washington County Jail.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alongside newly appointed Community Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander on Thursday announced a new crime fighting initiative for the city dubbed “Operation Endeavor.” The press conference was ultimately light on details and specifics as to what the operation will entail, but Frey indicated the approach will rely on “data” to focus resources on crime hotspots in the city.

Frey and Alexander were flanked during the press conference by several state, county and Minneapolis law enforcement authorities, including Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota Eddie Frizell, and MPD Commander Jason Case who each spoke briefly in support of the plan but again provided few operational details.

Commissioner Alexander said the multi-jurisdictional group will integrate resources from law enforcement, private organizations and “civilian assets” in the plan. Alexander indicated that resources would be centered on downtown crime and will “ripple” out to the rest of the city from there.

Just hours after the press conference, Minneapolis recorded its sixth mass shooting this month. Police aired over dispatch just after 8 p.m. Thursday that they heard shots fired in the area of West Broadway Avenue and Emerson Avenue North. Within minutes, the incident was updated to a shooting, according to dispatch audio. Police eventually found gunshot victims being loaded into a vehicle near the Marathon gas station on West Broadway near Fremont Avenue North. At least three people were reported to have self-transported to North Memorial hospital. Police later told media that four males had shown up with gunshot wounds and one was in critical condition. Police said no arrests had been made at the time.

The dispatcher aired to police during the incident that Shotspotter had activated three times indicating 44 rounds had been fired.

An audio clip indicating automatic gunfire was later posted online which was reported to be the sound of shots from the incident.

The other Minneapolis mass shootings this month where four or more victims were injured in each incident occurred at Merwin Liquors on Sept. 2, Winner Gas on Sept. 8, Bullwinkle’s Saloon on Sept. 9, 4th Street Saloon on Sept. 9, and 8th and Hennepin Avenue on Sept. 17. In total, at least 25 victims have been shot in the six Minneapolis mass shooting incidents this month. There have been numerous other shootings in Minneapolis this month in addition to the mass shooting incidents.

Law enforcement in Ramsey County last week tracked down and arrested Raphael Raymond Nunn, 56, who is suspected in the Sept. 13 kidnapping and carjacking of a 61-year-old woman in Arden Hills. Nunn was charged on Friday with felony counts of first-degree aggravated robbery and kidnapping in the case.

Raphael Raymond Nunn (Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that the public called in with many tips after surveillance photos were posted of the suspect following the kidnapping and robbery. Nunn was positively identified by his probation officer from surveillance images obtained from a Minneapolis convenience store on the 2600 block of Cedar Avenue where Nunn walked after leaving the victim at nearby Matthews Park.

Ramsey County investigators used multiple video surveillance cameras and were able to track the suspect getting out of the victim’s vehicle and walking to the convenience store. He entered the store where he purchased a bottle of soda, and while inside the store, he took off his hood. Nunn had previously removed his mask while he walked. Surveillance inside the store provided clear views of Nunn’s face, charges said.

Nunn was eventually arrested at an address in south Minneapolis where he was reportedly staying.

Nunn made his first court appearance Friday afternoon and was denied a public defender. No attorney for Nunn is currently listed in court records. Nunn remains in custody on $750,000 bail.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher reported on Friday that members of the county’s carjacking and auto theft team (CAT) took a suspect into custody from a stolen vehicle. Fletcher said the scene played out around 4:30 p.m. when the CAT team spotted a stolen Audi and attempted to stop it near White Bear Avenue and I-94 on St. Paul’s East Side. The suspect vehicle rammed a squad and took off east on I-94 then south on McKnight Road South. A tire deflation device was successfully deployed, but the pursuit was suspended at that point as the stolen vehicle approached a school bus. Officers were able to reacquire the vehicle on Carver Avenue. The vehicle’s tires continued to shred as it turned northbound onto Hwy 61. The vehicle was finally stopped near Lower Afton Road where the suspect was taken into custody.

A stolen Audi was pinned in St. Paul by Ramsey County law enforcement (Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher)

Sheriff Fletcher said the suspect had an active Department of Corrections warrant and was also booked on second-degree assault and auto theft.

Patrick Michael Reiman (MN Dept. of Corrections)

Booking records show Patrick Michael Reiman, 35, was booked into custody on probable cause charges of receiving stolen property, fleeing police, and assault, as well as a parole violation. Records show Reiman has a lengthy criminal history and is currently on parole after being released from prison in April on convictions for burglary, drugs, check forgery, and financial card fraud. Reiman was allowed to serve sentences in the four separate cases in two counties concurrently.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Public Safety on Friday issued the third safety notification this month about indecent conduct on campus involving alleged peepers.

University of MN Safe-U safety notifications (University of Minnesota)

The Friday notification said a victim using the bathroom in Bailey Residence Hall about 5 p.m. said a male suspect attempted to look into the stall. The suspect was described in his 20s to 30s wearing a bomber style jacket with a blue front, black sandals and gray socks.

Two prior incidents were reported at Smith Hall on Sept. 15 and Middlebook Hall on Sept. 9 and involved a suspect taking a picture of someone in a bathroom stall and a shower peeping incident, respectively.

Metro Transit police in Minneapolis responded Friday just before 5:30 p.m. to a stabbing aboard a bus near North 7th Street and Oak Lake Avenue in the North Loop, according to dispatch audio. The male victim, who was reported to be in his 20s, was stabbed twice in the chest and abdomen, responders stated at the time. The suspect fled on foot from the bus, according to further audio. Further information on the victim’s condition wasn’t immediately available, and no public statement was issued by Metro Transit police about the incident.

Two young men were shot in Richfield on Friday night at the Richfield High School homecoming football game, and two teen suspects were apprehended the following day. The 18- and 21-year-old gunshot victims sustained non-life-threatening wounds, according to information later released by police.

The incident began around 8:45 p.m. at 7001 Harriet Avenue South where Richfield was hosting a visiting team from Bloomington Kennedy. Police said school officials had denied entry access to a number of individuals who appeared to be waiting for the game to end outside the northeast end of the football field. The on-site police officer drove to the area of the individuals, heard two gunshots, and saw numerous people running from the scene. The two gunshot victims were found near the northeast entrance gate of the football field.

Video was captured by the high school’s livestream of the game which showed the moment shots rang out. Members of both teams could be seen running from the sidelines as shots were fired in the background.

The 18-year-old victim was transported to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, police said. Dispatch audio from the time of the incident indicated that the other victim had been spared significant injury because the bullet had struck his cellphone. A brief suspect description was aired at the time as a white male wearing all black, but police did not confirm that description in their later statement, only saying a suspect had not been identified or located.

Richfield High School subsequently canceled the remaining homecoming weekend activities including boys’ and girls’ soccer and the homecoming dance, according to a statement by Principal Stacy Theien-Collins on the school’s Facebook page.

Theien-Collins said in the post that the decision was made to cancel the other activities “to help ensure student safety and to allow us all a little room to breathe, reflect and heal.” Theien-Collins said that counselors and social workers would be on site at the school this week to help anyone impacted process how they are feeling.

Richfield police posted an update on Sunday saying two male teens had been arrested Saturday in connection to the shooting; they are being held in juvenile detention, and charges are expected this week. They said the “instigator” is a 16-year-old former student who was arrested in Edina, and the shooter is a 15-year-old current Richfield High School student arrested in Richfield.

The incident followed a disturbance a week prior at the Edina High School homecoming game during which fights broke out and police from several agencies were called to assist in clearing the campus. Three teens were arrested for disorderly conduct in that incident, police said.

Inver Grove Heights police reported Saturday that they are investigating a death and that three people were arrested in connection to the incident on suspicion of murder and burglary (top photo). IGHPD said they were dispatched at approximately 2:07 a.m. Saturday to an address on the 2100 block of 78th Court East on a 911 hang-up call. When police arrived, they found an adult male on the floor in the home who was deceased.

Other officers stopped a vehicle leaving the area that was occupied by three adults who preliminary information suggested were involved in the incident, police said.

Logan David Slack, 25, and Fotini Anest West, 25, both of Minneapolis, were booked into Dakota County Jail on probable cause charges of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. Sean Richard Lumley, 30, of Monticello was booked on probable cause aid/abet first-degree murder. The three had not been formally charged as of Monday afternoon.

Police said they do not believe the incident was random.

A check of court records shows that Slack was charged in Hennepin County earlier this month with one count of carrying a pistol without a permit. Charges in the case say Slack was found with a pistol when he dropped off a gunshot victim at the hospital following a shooting at 21st and Elliot Avenue on Sept. 11. He was subsequently released with no bail required.

Police in Blaine responded about 2:45 p.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired and a possible carjacking outside Cub Foods at Northtown Mall, according to dispatch audio. Police arrived and reported there were no injuries but said a white Dodge Challenger Hellcat had been taken. The suspect was eventually described as a tan, unknown race male wearing a pullover dark mask and a gray hoodie with a pink design on the back. A suspect was not immediately located, and there was no public release of information by police on the incident.

Three people were shot in St. Paul Saturday night at a large gathering. Media reports indicate that police were called about 11:30 p.m. to the 1600 block of White Bear Avenue on a report of a shooting. The location is a large strip mall with an event center. When police arrived, they found three people shot. Police said the victims were shot in their lower extremities, and injuries to the three parties were reported to be non-life-threatening. The incident continues to be investigated.

Around Minnesota

A traffic stop in Wadena County last week led to the discovery of 362 grams of suspected fentanyl with the assistance of police K9 “Nitro.”

John Alan Gordon and K9 Nitro (Wadena County Sheriff’s Office)

Suspect John Alan Gordon, 32, of Waubun, Minn., was arrested and subsequently charged on Thursday with first-degree controlled substance involving sale or possession of 100 or more grams.

Charges say on Sept. 22 a deputy patrolling traffic in the city of Verndale clocked a vehicle on radar traveling 48 mph in a 40-mph zone and conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, the officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and observed the driver shaking. The driver denied smoking “weed” as he exited the vehicle and denied having any weapons when asked.

The driver was notified that K9 Nitro was going to make a pass around the vehicle. K9 Nitro alerted to the presence of drugs near the front passenger door of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted during which a tampon box was located in the console that contained several baggies which later field tested positive for fentanyl. A scale in a box on the front seat was also recovered.

The complaint also stated that Gordon had been under surveillance this summer for suspected narcotics sales during which he travelled to the Minneapolis area to obtain drugs and then returned to the White Earth Reservation to sell the drugs at a profit.

Court records show Gordon has two prior felony convictions.

Gordon made an initial court appearance on Thursday and was subsequently ordered conditionally released on $15,000 cash bail. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Sept. 26.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.

 

Crime Watch MN
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.

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