Man charged in deadly shooting outside Blaine mall, 15-year-old boy arrested
A 20-year-old man is facing a felony charge in connection with a deadly shooting at a mall north of the Twin Cities last week, according to a complaint filed in Anoka County on Tuesday.
Officers responded to a report that a person had been shot in the parking lot of Northtown Mall in Blaine, Minnesota, around 5:13 p.m. Friday. The mall was put in lockdown as a result.
Upon arrival, charges say law enforcement found a boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. An ambulance transported him to Mercy Hospital, where he died. He was identified as 15-year-old Sudais Abdi Omar.
A witness reported seeing three male suspects run into the mall, back outside and toward Sky Zone. Charges say officers found a man who matched the descriptions given by witnesses in the bathroom of Sky Zone. The man allegedly had a gun magazine in one of his socks at the time of his arrest.
The suspect, who is charged with aiding an offender to avoid arrest, told police he, the victim and another suspect had been in a car coming to pick up the third suspect, according to the complaint. He went to use the bathroom inside Best Buy, and when he came back out, the other two suspects told him the victim had been shot.
Charges say the man claims one of the other suspects gave him a gun magazine, which he put into the pocket of his throbe, later moving it to his sock when he saw the police enter Sky Zone.
The other two suspects are 14 and 15 and cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.
The Anoka County Sherif's Office announced Thursday that they arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection to the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.