2 people charged in shooting of Minneapolis police officer
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced charges against two suspects in the shooting of a Minneapolis police officer over the weekend.
Frederick Leon Davis, 19, was charged on Tuesday with attempted second-degree murder and Nevaeh Lee Page, 20, with one count of aiding an offender for their alleged role in a shooting on Aug. 11, which injured a seven-year veteran officer with the Minneapolis Police Department.
According to court records, an officer was on patrol in an unmarked car around 9:15 p.m. when he noticed a potentially stolen Chevy Equinox allegedly used in a robbery that had also fled from Brooklyn Park police the day before and Minneapolis police about an hour prior.
The officer followed the Equinox for about eight blocks, and as he crested the hill, he saw what appeared to be the suspect vehicle parked with its lights off. The officer described hearing gunshots and seeing muzzle flashes, believing he was being shot at from two directions.
The officer described feeling his arm numb after being struck in the back of the shoulder. He drove away from the area and met two officers at the intersection of Fremont Avenue North and Webber Parkway, where he was transported to the hospital. He was discharged hours later with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and remains in stable condition, according to court records.
Additional responding officers found the suspect vehicle again and attempted to make a stop when the driver, police identified as Davis, fled. MPD officers and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office deputies pursued the driver until the suspect vehicle crashed near 21st Avenue and Upton Avenue North.
Court records say Davis and Page ran from the scene, and officers deployed a K9s. They were apprehended shortly after. Two other people in the vehicle, including a juvenile with an apparent head injury from the crash, were arrested at the scene.
Law enforcement searched the vehicle and found a "ghost gun" where the juvenile had been sitting in the back and another firearm in the front where Davis had been sitting. Law enforcement said the Glock had been equipped with a switch making it fully automatic, charges explained.
Initial forensic reviews suggest the Glock automatic firearm had fired 12 shots while the ghost gun had been fired three times. Law enforcement is still running forensics on the vehicle and firearms.
During interviews with investigators, Page claimed she noticed someone had been following them, and Davis said to "keep a look on that car" and pulled over. But, she would not say who fired the shots or identify the people in the back seat, who she claimed she didn’t know. However, charges said someone in the car told authorities Davis was one of the shooters.
Page and Davis are set to make their first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. The case remains under investigation.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released the following statement on Davis and Page being charged.
"We experienced a disturbing level of gun violence over the weekend. The danger that comes with all gun violence is intensified when firearms are modified to make them fully automatic, as occurred in this attack. Our office will continue to prioritize prosecution of this type of violence, to bring justice for victims and their families, and to get these dangerous weapons off the street.
I am grateful the injured officer is on the road to recovery. As we begin the prosecution of these two individuals we will continue to work closely with law enforcement on the investigation to ensure all involved are held accountable."