Minneapolis police were dispatched just after noon Thursday to an initial report of a shooting at the Twin Cities International Charter School at 277 12th Avenue North. The dispatcher told police that the 911 caller was whispering in the phone that there had been a shooting. After an extensive search of the locked down building and consulting with staff, no victims were found and no one on site knew anything about a shooting. Based on the phone number used in the 911 call, police eventually tracked down a student inside the building whom they believed was responsible for making the “crank call” and said he was being taken into custody, according to dispatch audio. Further information about any possible charges was not immediately available, and no public statement was issued by police about the incident.
A woman in her 20s was shot and killed Thursday in Minneapolis just after 12:30 p.m. on the 1200 block of Banneker Avenue North, marking the city’s 76th homicide this year. The suspect was described over dispatch audio as a black male with long dreads who was wearing a colorful jacket.
Police said in a later statement that no suspect had been taken into custody at the time but said they did not believe there was any danger to the public.
Jail and court records showed that Clifton Dawayne Latimore Ingram, 23, of north Minneapolis was taken into custody late Thursday night and was charged on Friday with second-degree intentional murder.
Charges say Ingram was inside an apartment with the victim and her roommate who were all acquainted. The victim became upset with Ingram because he had marijuana on her table. The two argued and Ingram pulled out a revolver and shot the victim in the chest. He stepped forward and shot her again. The roommate later told police that Ingram said something to the effect of when he pulls out a gun, he’ll use it.
Ingram was released from prison on parole earlier this year after serving 32 months of a 48-month sentence for a 2020 conviction on felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to only being required to serve two-thirds of the 48-month sentence incarcerated under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, Ingram had been granted a downward durational sentencing departure by now retired Hennepin County Judge Kathryn L. Quaintance in the case. Ingram is prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of that conviction as well as what court records indicate was a juvenile conviction on domestic strangulation.
Ingram remained in custody Monday on $1 million bail and was scheduled to make his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m.
At least three other people were injured in shootings in Minneapolis in separate incidents over the weekend.
Police were dispatched Saturday just before 3 a.m. on a report of five to six shots heard in the Uptown Minneapolis area of West Lake Street and Fremont Avenue South. About the same time, police were also dispatched to a report of a gunshot victim who had shown up at Abbott Hospital at 28th and Chicago Avenue South, according to dispatch audio. Further audio indicated that the victim was a female who had been shot in the calf while inside a vehicle. Police aired that they eventually found a shooting scene near Lake and Fremont. No public information was released by police on this shooting.
Minneapolis police responded about 8:50 p.m. Saturday on a report of a person shot on the 1800 block of East Lake Street. Dispatch audio at the time indicated that the victim had been shot in the arm. Police later told media that a 16-year-old boy had been transported to the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. They said no arrests had been made at the time and the incident continues to be investigated.
Minneapolis police were dispatched just before 12:30 p.m. Sunday on a report of a shooting on the 2600 block of Girard Avenue North. One person was reported to be shot in the leg. One officer aired over dispatch that police had been to the same address earlier in the morning on a domestic situation. The male suspect in the earlier domestic situation was named over dispatch and it was stated that he was wanted on a warrant. No further information was aired about whether the suspect was the same from the earlier domestic, and the person named did not appear on the Hennepin County Jail bookings as of Monday morning. No public information was released by police on this shooting.
A University of Minnesota student was reportedly the victim of a robbery at gunpoint Thursday that occurred just before 2:30 p.m. on the 1600 block of University Avenue Southeast. The suspect got away with the victim’s wallet and cell phone, according to dispatch audio. A U of M watchdog page subsequently posted about the incident and said it occurred in the private parking lot of Sigma Chi.
The university later issued a safety alert about the incident but offered no suspect information other than the suspect was in a black Impala with no license plates. The vehicle was also described over dispatch as a black Nissan with no plates.
A video had been posted the day prior that appeared to show a burglary suspect breaking into the Chi Omega sorority about a block away. It’s unknown if the incidents may be related.
Oh. A random old dude broke into @ChiOmegaUMN (the only sorority on fraternity row at the University of Minnesota) in the wee hours of this morning and creeped around inside for a while @UMNews @CrimeWatchMpls pic.twitter.com/kMkCzpt4Zn
— Kent Kaiser, PhD APR (@kentkaiser) December 8, 2022
Authorities on Thursday released police bodycam and other video and images from last Monday’s officer involved fatal shooting of 24-year-old Howard Peter Johnson in St. Paul. One image from the shooting showed Johnson pointing a handgun at responding officer Sgt. Cody Blanshan; another showed a muzzle flash coming from Johnson’s gun. Investigators recovered a firearm and three shell casings near Howard as well as 10 spent shell casings reportedly discharged from Blanshan’s department firearm. Police had been in the area of Earl Street and Hudson Road at the time after a woman reported being hit in a domestic assault incident involving Johnson who had a history of domestic related convictions. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues to investigate the case.
Tiana Hughes, 17, was charged by juvenile petition Friday in Hennepin County District Court related to the death of two teens a year ago in the crash of a carjacked vehicle in Northeast Minneapolis that split the vehicle in two. Prosecutors are looking to have Hughes tried as an adult.
Hughes is accused of driving the carjacked vehicle that crashed into a tree about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 9, 2021, on Lowry Avenue Northeast near Hayes Street Northeast. The impact of the crash reportedly ejected the two teens who died as a result of the crash. They were later identified as Shawndale Hickman and Debra Ward, both age 16. Two other juvenile males in the vehicle at the time survived the crash and denied to investigators that they had been driving, Star Tribune reported.
The car was reportedly split in half. Pic from a follower. pic.twitter.com/DiAKhX7lwI
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) December 9, 2021
The vehicle had been taken in an armed carjacking just hours prior on the evening of Dec. 8 from the area of 12th and Fremont Avenue North.
At the time of the crash, the vehicle was fleeing from Robbinsdale police who had originally spotted it in their city. Robbinsdale officers lost sight of the vehicle traveling about 110 mph on Lowry Avenue near Johnson Street Northeast and found it crashed just east of that location.
Police at the time were unable to determine who was driving, but a forensics investigation analyzed DNA from blood found on the driver’s side airbag and window and compared it with others in the vehicle to determine that Hughes was driving, charges said.
Information about when Hughes will appear in court was not made available.
A pedestrian was killed in Maplewood Friday in a hit and run crash, and the Maplewood Police Department has requested help from the public in reporting the possible vehicle(s) involved.
Maplewood police said in an initial press release that on December 9, 2022, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Maplewood Police observed two vehicles stopped with a pedestrian that had been struck in the roadway on northbound McKnight Road near Margaret Street.
At the scene, Maplewood officers and Maplewood and St. Paul Firefighter Paramedics began rendering medical aid; however, the victim was pronounced deceased.
When officers arrived, the striking vehicle(s) were not located at the scene. Police said the striking vehicle likely has significant front-end damage.
Maplewood police provided an update later Saturday which said that through the initial investigation, they believed they were looking for a 2011 to 2020 dark blue Dodge Caravan or dark blue Chrysler Town and Country with front right-end damage. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Lt. Joe Steiner at 651-249-2608 or Wbr.Fgrvare@zncyrjbbqza.tbi.
The Carver County Sheriff’s Office reported that three people were taken into custody early Saturday morning after a vehicle fled from a stop for traffic violations and suspicious activity. The truck was located a short time later in the Waconia area and fled once more. After crashing, three suspects fled on foot through a field. They said with a combination of excellent teamwork and help from one of their K9 partners, all three suspects were apprehended and were booked into jail on several charges. Information on the arrested parties was not immediately available.
One man died early Sunday morning in Minneapolis, and another was hospitalized following a high-speed crash at the intersection of 42nd and Lyndale Avenue North, according to police.
Minneapolis officers arrived at the scene of the crash about 12:40 a.m. and called for more squads to respond to the scene, according to dispatch audio at the time. Audio indicated that the “crime scene” was shut down to traffic and transit for several hours following the crash.
In a statement issued by MPD later Sunday morning, they said that police found two vehicles at the scene of the crash. One driver, an adult male, had died at the scene, and the other driver was transported to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.
The statement said that preliminary information suggested that the driver who was hospitalized was traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Lyndale Avenue when he entered the intersection and impacted the vehicle containing the driver who died.
They said no arrests had been made at the time, and the crash continues to be investigated.
Two juveniles were reportedly arrested in Minneapolis on Sunday after a driver crashed into several vehicles at a McDonald’s in north Minneapolis and attempted to flee.
The incident developed after 2 p.m. on the 4400 block of Lyndale Avenue North when police aired that there had been a crash involving five vehicles and they had fleeing suspects at gunpoint. One officer aired that one vehicle involved may have been used in an earlier attempted robbery of business.
Police aired at the time that they had recovered two guns from the vehicle, but later media reports stated that police had recovered a total of three guns and a fourth imitation or toy gun.
Around Minnesota
Charges against a former Beltrami County employee who was facing several counts of fraud and theft involving improper use of county funds were dismissed on Thursday following his death.
Ronald Anthony Pula, 64, who was the former Beltrami County Management of Information Services Director, was facing 14 counts of felony thefts, financial transaction card fraud and receiving stolen property, Bemidji Now reported.
The investigation began after a county-wide inventory revealed a number of missing assets purchased by the Information Services department.
The Minnesota State Auditor’s Office conducted the investigative audit and found $146,594 in county purchases that appear to have been made for non-business purposes. A subsequent search of Pula’s residence turned up nearly 300 items including tools, computers and electronic equipment, as well as additional items found on Pula’s farm property. The thefts and fraud were alleged to have occurred between late 2019 through late 2021.
Pula had been charged last Tuesday and was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Jan. 6, 2023. Information about the circumstances of Pula’s death was not immediately available.
Duluth police reported that they took a wanted fugitive into custody on Thursday as part of an operation with the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, members of the Tactical Response Team, and deputies from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
They said at approximately 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, the law enforcement team responded to the 4700 block of Decker Road to detain 29-year-old James Wilkinson, who was a Department of Corrections fugitive with a lengthy violent, criminal history.
Police said Wilkinson exited a residence and tried to flee in a vehicle from law enforcement. Wilkinson was arrested, and officers seized 25 fentanyl pills and $1,544 in U.S. currency.
St. Louis County Jail records shows Wilkinson was booked on a DOC hold and a felony domestic assault warrant, as well as probable cause felony charges of obstruction, fleeing in a motor vehicle, and third-degree sale of fentanyl, and a gross misdemeanor charge of child endangerment.
Wilkinson was just released from prison on parole in July and has ten prior Minnesota convictions including 4 felonies: two for first-degree narcotics, second-degree assault, and 3rd degree narcotics.
Wilkinson remains in custody on $25,000 bail in the felony domestic assault case.
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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.
