Man charged after deadly Minneapolis homeless encampment 'shooting rampage'
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man has been charged after three shootings near Minneapolis homeless encampments that left two men dead and one injured.
Joshua Anthony Jones, 36, is currently charged, separately, in two of the three shootings that occurred on Sept. 18.
Jones is being investigated for a third fatal shooting that happened in the early morning on the same day.
READ MORE: South Minneapolis residents rattled by encampment violence
Charges in first deadly shooting
Jones is charged with one count of second-degree murder with intent, and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a crime.
According to the charges, on Sept. 18 just before 4:30 p.m., officers responded to reports of a man who was shot in the head in an alley in the 2500 block of Bloomington Avenue, very close to a homeless encampment.
At the scene, officers found a man lying in the alley with a gunshot wound to the head. That man died at the scene.
READ MORE: Man arrested in deadly 'shooting rampage' at Minneapolis homeless encampments
Shooting caught on camera
According to the charges, the shooting was caught on surveillance cameras and the video showed the incident "clearly and distinctly."
The footage shows the victim standing "peacefully" in the alley around 4:15 p.m. The suspect, later identified as Jones, is seen walking down the alley, stopping in front of the victim and pointing a gun at the victim's head, the charges detail.
The victim then puts his hands up in response to the gun pointing, and "cowers" on the ground.
Court documents say that Jones allegedly paused, but then shot the victim in the head at close range.
The charges say Jones then "uttered" a racial expletive and walked away.
Jones identified as gang member
According to court documents, investigators have learned that Jones is a member of the Native Mob, which is a criminal street gang that is active in South Minneapolis and other areas of Minnesota.
An investigator with the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), who has experience investigating gang crime in Native American communities, confirmed that he is "very familiar" with Jones and his appearance. The investigator had interviewed him in the past, and had previously testified at a trial of Jones, the charges say.
When showed the surveillance footage of the victim's slaying, the DOC investigator "immediately identified" Jones, and said he was "100% confident" in his identification of Jones.
Charges in second shooting
In the second shooting, Jones was charged with attempted second-degree murder, and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a crime.
This shooting happened later on Sept. 18 around 7:20 p.m., near the intersection of 24th Street and 18th Avenue South. Minneapolis police officers responded to reports that a man was injured after he was shot at repeatedly at close-range, court documents say.
At the scene, officers found the victim shot in the back of his right shoulder. Charges say the victim "immediately" identified the shooter as Jones. The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
The victim told investigators he was fixing the chain on his bike when Jones drove up in a red Jeep, court documents say. The victim and Jones are reportedly known to each other, including a past drug transaction.
The victim says that Jones gave him a "look", and drove past the victim, but then turned around and approached the victim from behind. Jones shouted something at the victim and pointed a gun at his head at close range.
The victim then jumped back as Jones allegedly fired his gun and missed the victim, court documents said. Jones then chased the victim, shooting at him four times.
Jones shot the victim in the shoulder when he tried to take cover behind a car. The victim then eventually fled to a building in a park nearby.
Two people witnessed the shooting and subsequent chase, one of them capturing it on their cell phone, which recorded the sound of Jones' gunfire.
Officers then found the red Jeep, which was determined to be stolen.
On Sept. 19, the victim was shown a picture of Jones and said, "that was the b---- who shot me!"
Investigators determined that the same 9mm firearm was used in both shootings.
Third shooting under investigation
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO) says that Jones is under investigation for a third shooting homicide that occurred in the same area, on the same day.
That shooting happened around 4:40 a.m. on Sept. 18. The shooting also occurred in an alleyway in the area of 17th Avenue South and East 26th Street – just blocks from the later Bloomington Avenue shooting.
At that scene, investigators found two men who had been shot. A man in his 20s and a man in his 30s. The man in his 20s had been shot in the head and was found dead in the encampment.
The other victim was shot at least once in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive, police said.
Jones has not been charged yet in this shooting.
Jones' past criminal history
According to court documents, Jones is a long-time member of the Native Mob and has an extensive criminal history.
Previously, Jones was convicted on multiple counts of second-degree assault and second-degree assault for the benefit of a gang in 2010. Then in 2019, he was convicted of third-degree assault.
He was also convicted of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle in 2021.
Jones currently has several open felony cases, court documents say, including second-degree assault for a March 2024 shooting, and two car thefts in March and June.
What's next for Jones?
Jones was arrested on the evening of Sept. 18, and is currently in custody. He will make his first court appearance on Sept. 23 at 1:30 p.m.
HCAO says there may be additional charges against Jones after further investigation.
What they're saying
Minneapolis council approves encampment ordinances
The Minneapolis City Council offered up its solutions to the connected problems of homelessness and criminal violence on Thursday. They passed three measures a day after police responded to three shootings and two homicides near homeless encampments. The council majority and the mayor don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, including how to address homelessness.
READ MORE: Encampment violence puts spotlight on Minneapolis homeless approach
After the morning shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara called out problems with crime at encampments.
"There’s been way too much crime and violence this year and way too much associated with the homeless encampments," said O'Hara at a press conference.
"This is not a problem that we're going to arrest our way out of. And it's frustrating to the police, just like it's frustrating to the residents, that an encampment gets cleared one day here, and it pops up, you know, the next day somewhere else. It's. It's frustrating for everyone involved," added O'Hara.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement following the charges against Jones:
"Although the investigation is ongoing, it appears that Mr. Jones targeted several individuals over a short time span, taking two lives and harming three other victims. His actions are horrifying, and he will be held accountable by this office," Moriarty said.
"Although this attack does not appear to have been targeted at the broader unhoused community, we know that that is little comfort to them. Everyone deserves to feel safe, housed or not, and our office will work to ensure that they do," she continued.