John Lee Edmondson, 52, of St. Louis Park was charged Thursday related to the Feb. 25 mass shooting in St. Paul that resulted in two people killed and three others injured.
Edmondson has been charged in Ramsey County District Court with three counts of second-degree murder. Thirty-four-year-old chef Larry “Hot Hands” Jiles and 37-year-old Troy Kennedy were killed in the shooting in the parking lot of an affordable senior living apartment building on the 500 block of Dale Street. The complaint states that Kennedy was reported to be Edmondson’s cousin, and Jiles had prepared most of the food for the gathering.
Several people had been attending a “celebration of life” gathering when an argument broke out in the parking lot over “snitching” and working with the police, a witness later told police. A witness went out to the parking lot and saw Edmondson shoot Jiles three times in the head and neck point-blank. Edmondson then shot 6 or 7 times from his hip at everyone in the parking lot, that’s when a witness saw Kennedy drop to the ground.
Another witness gave a similar account of the events and told police that Edmondson said, “Who else want it?” A third witness told police that Kennedy was walking around the
parking lot looking for a man he was angry with. The witness said Jiles had gone outside and produced a gun when he heard Kennedy had a gun. Others talked Jiles into putting the gun back into his waistband by reminding Jiles that everyone there was family. The witness said Edmondson parked his vehicle, got out, and approached Jiles, put his left arm around Jiles and shot him in the head three times. A fourth witness told police Edmondson had “crazy eyes” while holding a gun.
Edmondson has a 1994 conviction for aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aggravated robbery. Court documents in that case indicate Edmondson was part of a criminal gang that engaged in street robberies of drug dealers, and state that he was the driver for three other men at the time of an attempted robbery that ended in the shooting death of a 19-year-old man in St. Paul. Edmondson was sentenced to 18 years in prison in that case.
Edmondson remains in custody on $10 million bail.
An assault reportedly occurred early Friday morning at the Uptown Minneapolis Transit Station on 28th and Hennepin Avenue that left a party “bleeding profusely” from the head and unresponsive, according to dispatch audio by responding officers.
Another brutal assault at a Metro Transit station this morning.
Before 5 a.m., assault at the #UptownMpls transit station.
Victim was 'bleeding profusely' from the head and was unresponsive.
Suspects: WM, blue jacket and black pants, backpack, and BM, orange jacket and tan… https://t.co/jZisWfBOrF— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) March 3, 2023
The assault came just days after several politicians expressed outrage over a transgender woman being brutally assaulted at the Lake Street LRT Station last Monday.
There were no similar outpourings of support for the victim of Friday’s assault, and no public statements were issued by either Metro Transit police or Minneapolis police, and there was no Twin Cities media coverage.
There have been about 566 other assaults in Minneapolis over the last month, according to police data.
A stolen Kia went airborne and careened off an I-94 freeway overpass in north Minneapolis Friday before 7 a.m. while being pursued by State Patrol near 49th Avenue North. The two juvenile suspects crawled out of the vehicle and attempted to flee but were apprehended. State Patrol reported that the juveniles sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. No further information was made available about possible charges or detention.
Donovan Alan Goodman, 33, of Fridley was federally charged on Friday related to a Twin Cities armed carjacking spree and illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents and dispatch audio from the various incidents, on Jan. 30, 2023, a Ramsey County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop in Little Canada on a Ford F150, which was later revealed to be stolen. The driver, later identified as Goodman, fled the deputy, driving in the wrong lanes of traffic, above posted speed limits, and evading stop sticks. Law enforcement officers ultimately disabled the vehicle using a PIT maneuver.
The driver fled the vehicle and jumped over a freeway lane barrier on I-694 where he pointed a gun at another driver and yelled, “Get the [expletive] out of the car,” and carjacked their vehicle. The carjacked vehicle, which was subsequently recovered, had an installed dash camera that captured the entire incident.
It was also later determined that while the original vehicle had been fleeing the officer, a puppy had been thrown from the vehicle by one of the occupants as an attempted distraction. The dog was rescued the following morning by Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies who had identified from video that something had been thrown from the vehicle.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Foundation is accepting donations to cover medical costs for "Taho." Currently, medical costs have totaled $4,500. Ongoing medical costs are estimated to total $7,500. If you’d like to help with Taho’s recovery, please visit https://t.co/SvitEENOM7. pic.twitter.com/HvA8ggpTvh
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) February 1, 2023
On Feb. 25, 2023, at approximately 4:23 a.m., officers with the Minneapolis Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a stolen vehicle parked in a downtown Minneapolis parking lot. Goodman and another male, who were standing near the vehicle, immediately fled on foot and officers pursued. One officer deployed a taser to subdue Goodman, who initially fell to the ground, rolled over and then pointed a handgun with a red laser sight in the direction of the officer. The officer immediately took cover and Goodman escaped on foot.
Shortly thereafter, a carjacking victim flagged down responding law enforcement officers and reported that he was an Uber driver and had just picked up two passengers in downtown Minneapolis when a man, later determined to be Goodman, approached the vehicle and offered the occupants $100 to let him join the Uber ride. One of the occupants agreed and opened the door. Once inside the vehicle, Goodman pulled out a firearm with a red laser and pointed it at the back of the driver’s head and ordered everyone out of the vehicle. The driver and the two occupants complied, and Goodman fled in the vehicle.
Goodman was tracked down later that day at a residence in St. Paul where he was taken into custody utilizing a St. Paul SWAT team operation.
Goodman is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms. He has been charged with possession of a firearm as a felon and carjacking and made his first appearance in federal court on Friday. Goodman was ordered to remain in detention pending further court proceedings.
The Cottage Grove Police Department reported on Friday that officers were called to the Hy-Vee gas station on East Point Douglas Rd for a male performing a lewd act in his vehicle in the parking lot. When an officer approached the area, the suspect drove into the Walgreens lot, where the officer stopped him to investigate.
The male admitted to the incident, but while the officer was attempting to get more information the suspect reversed his vehicle and rammed the officer’s squad.
Officers had to break out a window and use a chemical irritant to get the 27-year-old Cottage Grove man into custody. After the irritant was used, the suspect picked up a whiskey bottle and started to drink out of it. Officers also found cocaine in one of his pockets.
The CGPD statement said the suspect was evaluated by paramedics and then transported to the Washington County Jail pending charges.
Jail records show that Courtney Allan Jarvis was arrested at that location and booked on probable cause charges of first-degree damage to property, controlled substance, indecent exposure and open bottle. He had not been formally charged at the time of this report.
Court records show Jarvis was convicted in Blue Earth County District Court in October 2022 on four of 10 felony counts of possessing child porn. The six other counts were dismissed under the terms of a plea deal that also called for a stay on the 60-month prison sentence. Court records show that in a downward dispositional departure from sentencing guidelines, Jarvis was instead placed on probation for a term of five years by Judge Gregory Anderson and was ordered to serve 120 days in local jail on work release.
Among Jarvis’ probation terms, he is prohibited from drug and alcohol use and is required to remain law abiding.
Robert Lee West, 39, of Stockbridge, Ga., has been charged with several felonies following a Friday lockdown at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake on reports of male armed with a gun who was threatening several people.
Charges say security pointed out West to officers as he headed toward the parking lot. Surveillance showed that the suspect had put the gun in his pocket and his hand remained in his pocket.
A police sergeant pointed his patrol rifle at West and gave him commands to put his hands in the air and get on the ground. West ignored the commands and walked away.
An officer fired two less lethal foam projectiles at West from a 40mm launcher. West then took a position in the parking lot between some vehicles. Officers continued trying to communicate with West who would periodically put his hands in the air and made comments about “the Masons.” West eventually complied by laying down on the ground where he was handcuffed. A loaded Ruger 9mm handgun was recovered from West’s front pants pocket.
Police later learned from a security supervisor that an unauthorized guest, later identified as West, had entered a hotel room and had pushed past housekeeping staff to get into the room. The complaint describes a series of events that proceeded as security tried to remove West from the hotel room during which West pointed the gun at multiple security personnel and made comments along the lines of “this is why you don’t f-ck with Masons. This is the Mason life.”
West has been charged with three felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and two gross misdemeanor counts of carrying a firearm without a permit and obstructing the legal process.
West remained in custody on Monday and is being held without bail pending a Tuesday bail hearing.
St. Paul police were dispatched Friday just after 10 p.m. on a report that “30-plus people” had sprayed mace in the hallways of the DoubleTree hotel at 2201 Burns Avenue and that things were “getting out of control,” according to dispatch audio. Police arrived and stated that bear mace had affected several areas and requested the fire department to the scene. Information was relayed to Crime Watch via parties who were reportedly staying at the hotel that the suspects were described as black males in ski masks. It was unclear if any parties were detained or arrested by police, and no public statement was issued by the police department.
A pro-life pregnancy center and clinic that just recently opened was vandalized with threatening graffiti and broken windows in Minneapolis early Saturday morning on the 2000 block of Chicago Avenue.
The damage was initially reported to police just after 1 a.m. by a passing bus driver who saw the suspects damaging windows and vandalizing the building with graffiti. Police eventually requested crime lab personnel to the scene for possible evidence left behind.
The center’s staff told Alpha News that police said, “…this is considered domestic terrorism and a hate crime according to the FACE Act,” and said that police told them the incident would be reported to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Read the full Alpha News report on this incident.
A man was shot outside the Broadway Pub and Grill (formerly known as the 200 Club) in north Minneapolis around bar close Saturday morning, and two suspects were arrested a few hours later after they were found in south Minneapolis asleep or unconscious in a vehicle.
The shooting occurred about 2:20 a.m. following several reports of fights at the location at 200 West Broadway Avenue, according to dispatch audio. However, it’s not known at this time whether the prior fights and the shooting were related.
At least one off-duty officer was working on site at the time of the shooting and aired that the male was shot in the chest. Another officer aired that a vehicle with South Dakota plates had bullet holes in the windshield. The shooter was described as leaving the scene in a BMW.
Later dispatch audio just before 4 a.m. indicated that police had tracked the possible suspect vehicle to the area of a townhome cluster near Wentworth Avenue just north of Hwy. 62 in south Minneapolis. On approach, officers reported that two males were asleep inside the vehicle, and police identified the shooter as the male in the driver’s seat.
Several squads were requested for back up and the two males were called out of the car and were taken into custody without incident just before 4:30 a.m.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement the following morning that the male had sustained a non-life-threatening injury and was recovering.
Jail records show two males were booked into custody but had not been formally charged at the time of this report.
A woman who recently turned 18 was shot and killed inside a home in Minneapolis early Saturday morning, and a 13-year-old boy was reportedly injured by the same bullet that was allegedly fired by the mother of the woman who died.
Police were dispatched to the 3600 block of Dupont Avenue North about 6 a.m. when a 911 caller reported that a “gun went off” during a fight and indicated that her daughter had been shot.
Police later confirmed in a statement that an argument between a mother and her children had escalated to gunfire. Police recovered a gun at the scene and said investigators were working to determine whether the shooting was accidental or intentional.
Police said Ashley Paige Pope, 39, had been arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail. Records show that she’s being held on probable cause second-degree assault and had not been formally charged at the time of this report.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a press briefing that there were also three other children in the house at the time of the shooting. He said those children are now being cared for by other adults. The chief indicated that not everyone in the house was from the same family.
The young woman who died had not been publicly identified at the time of this report.
The death is homicide number 11 for Minneapolis this year.
A man was shot and killed in Plymouth Saturday night on the 5800 block of Oakview Lane North, which is on the western edge of Bass Lake (top photo).
Police were called to the address just before 11 p.m. on a report of a shooting where one person was reportedly not breathing.
Dispatch audio at the time indicated that more than one person may have been injured. However, a statement released by the Plymouth Police Department gave few details about the circumstances of the shooting and made no mention of any other injured parties. No suspect information was made available by Plymouth PD.
Nearby residents messaged Crime Watch at the time of the incident and stated that the home was known to offer short-term rentals and that the shooting may have occurred at a house party. Those details could not be immediately confirmed with the Plymouth Police Department.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in the investigation.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating a fatal shooting involving officers from the Stillwater Police Department on Saturday afternoon.
A suspect that several witnesses described as an “active shooter” reportedly fired several rounds inside an apartment building injuring people prior to officers’ arrival, and then fired shots toward officers as they arrived. Police returned fire resulting in the death of the suspect. Few other details have been released at this time as the BCA continues its investigation. Read the full report on Alpha News.
Around Minnesota
The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office reported Sunday that three people were found deceased from gunshot wounds that morning in their Fish Lake Township home. Deputies had gone to the home on Brunswick Road around 8 a.m. after a family member requested a welfare check because they had not been able to reach the home’s occupants. Few other details were offered but the CCSO said they do not believe the incident was random. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting in the investigation.
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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
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
