Man now charged in all 3 Minneapolis homeless encampment shootings

Additional charges filed against Mpls encampment shooter [RAW]

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has announced additional charges against Joshua Jones, who is now charged in three different shootings near a Minneapolis homeless encampment.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The man already charged in two Minneapolis homeless encampment shootings, is now charged in the third shooting from the same day that killed one man, and injured another.

On Sept. 18, three shootings near Minneapolis homeless encampments left two men dead and another two injured. Authorities said the shooting happened within a 24-hour period and had similar characteristics.

Jones shot five different people, in three different locations on Sept. 18.

New charges

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO) announced that Joshua Anthony Jones has now been charged with one count of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, and one count of illegal firearm possession in the third shooting that took place in the early morning on Sept. 18.

The new charges stem from the first shooting in the morning. He shot at three people, killing a man, injuring another person, but missed the third.

According to court documents, around 4:40 a.m. on Sept. 18, officers responded to reports saying someone fire a gun four times and shot two people in an alley on 17th Avenue South in Minneapolis.

At the scene, officers found two men each with a single gunshot wound to the head. One of the men died at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital, the charges say. The third victim wasn't hit by gunfire, but was targeted by it.

The injured victim identified the shooter as "Josh Jones" and stated he drove a red four-door Jeep, which was also seen at one of the other shootings that took place that day.

The third, uninjured victim, said that he knew the other two victims and Jones. He said that he has seen Jones at least four times before, court documents say. The victim said that he was in the alley when Jones shot the first two victims, and said that there was no argument or fight that led up to the shootings.

The third victim went on to say that Jones started shooting, and saw as Jones turned to shoot directly at him.

The injured victim told investigators from the hospital that Jones had started a conversation with him and the victim who was ultimately killed in the alley. At some point during the conversation, Jones gave the injured victim a cigarette. The victim turned around to hand it to the other man, and as the victim turned, Jones shot him in the back of the head, wounding him at the base of his skull.

Jones then shot the first victim in the head, causing him to fall next to the second victim, court documents say. The second victim told investigators that Jones didn't say anything before or after shooting him, and it "like he had done this before," and he had no remorse.

According to court documents, Jones is a member of the Native Mob, a criminal street active in south Minneapolis and other areas of Minnesota.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says it does not appear that Jones was targeting the homeless community, rather that he targeted the people he shot.

In total, Jones is facing two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, and three counts of illegal firearm possession.

Background

MPD investigates deadly encampment shootings

Minneapolis police are investigating two deadly homeless encampment shootings that happened within blocks of each other in less than 12 hours. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the full story.

At around 4:20 p.m., authorities responded to the 2500 block of Bloomington Avenue and found a man lying in an alley with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hours later, police responded to a shooting near the intersection of 24th Street and 18th Avenue South and found a man who had been shot in his right shoulder. He was taken to the hospital, and police said he was expected to survive his injuries.

Jones was arrested and later charged with being an illegible person in possession of a firearm, second-degree murder, and attempted second-degree murder for his alleged role in these crimes.

Authorities said Jones was under investigation for another fatal shooting, which happened around 4:40 a.m. at a homeless encampment near the 2600 block of 17th Avenue South in Minneapolis. One man was found inside the encampment with a gunshot wound to the head, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man had been shot in the neck and was transported to the hospital for his injuries.