Man charged for role in Northtown Mall shooting

BLAINE, Minn. — A 20-year-old man is accused of being involved in a shooting that sent a mall north of the Twin Cites into lockdown over the weekend.

The man from Anoka is facing charges of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety and threats of violence with reckless disregard after shots were fired outside Northtown Mall in Blaine, according to a criminal complaint filed in Anoka County on Tuesday. Both charges are felonies.

Blaine police were dispatched to the mall at 3:18 p.m. Sunday on reports of shots being fired near the food court. Later, investigators learned the shooting took place outside, but at least one bullet struck a display case inside.

Security footage allegedly showed five men exiting the mall — four of the men appeared to be together while the fifth, later identified as the suspect, seemed to be alone. Charging documents say they all walked into the parking lot where an "exchange of gunfire occurred."

During a search of the parking lot, officers report finding eight 9mm bullet casings.

Shortly after the shooting, the Minnesota State Patrol found the suspect in Spring Lake Park. During his arrest, troopers found a 9mm handgun on the suspect. The gun was in the "locked back" position, which indicated it could have been fired recently, charges say.

The suspect allegedly asked a trooper at the time of his arrest if the incident would be considered a "mass shooting."

An analysis of the suspect's gun found that casings that had been test fired from it matched the casings of four of the ones found in the mall parking lot. The four other bullet casings were determined to be from a different firearm.

The suspect has previously been convicted of threats of violence, a gross misdemeanor, according to court documents.

No other arrests have been made in the incident.