On April 8, 2026, law enforcement responded to a 911 call of a shooting near the 1200 block of Fremont Avenue North in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Upon arrival, two discharged cartridges (DCCs) and one live round were located in the street. There was a shot spotter activation two minutes prior to the call time. Officers later located the victim, a known adult male, who stated "they hit me with the car" and observed him to have a gunshot wound to the left foot. Victim [NAME REDACTED]. Victim was taken to the hospital with concerns for blunt force injuries from being hit by a car and to treat the gunshot wound.
Victim [NAME REDACTED] into surgery for his injuries. Victim [NAME REDACTED] reported being flagged down outside his apartment by a male he had met once. Victim got into the back seat of the car with the male he was familiar with, who was driving. Another male was in the passenger seat who Victim [NAME REDACTED]. Victim and the suspect began to argue about a mutual friend. The male suspect got angry, parked the car, and went around to the back passenger seat with a gun. Victim [NAME REDACTED] from the car.
The male shot Victim [NAME REDACTED], got back into the car, and drove away. The car drove forward and hit Victim [NAME REDACTED] in the street. Security video in the area assisted in identifying a suspect and a suspect vehicle, a Toyota Avalon bearing Iowa plates JRX488. The car is seen arriving to Victim's apartment. Victim [NAME REDACTED] interacting with a Hmong male who is approximately 5'6, thin build, short black hair, wearing a blue/green plaid button up and a white handkerchief around his neck.
Victim gets into the suspect vehicle. Investigators provided photographs of the suspected shooter to Ramsey County Deputies, who identified the suspect as SOMONG VANG ([DOB REDACTED]), Defendant herein. Ramsey County Deputies had been surveilling Defendant as part of their own investigation and had seen him in and around a Toyota Avalon bearing Iowa plates JRX488. It should be noted that in the security videos, Defendant appears to be the same height as Victim, [NAME REDACTED] is listed as 5'07 on his driver's license.
The suspect on the security video also appears to have facial hair in the form of a soul patch, which matches the facial hair Defendant has on his driver's license photo, which he took on 08/06/2025. Additionally, Defendant appears to have the same skin tone, build, and face shape as the suspect on the security video. On 04/23/2026 Ramsey County Deputies arrested Defendant after he left his address. He had what appeared to be Methamphetamine in his pocket and was later booked at Ramsey County Jail for Probable Cause Narcotics.
Defendant appeared to have been wearing the same hat that he wore during the shooting. Officers then searched Defendant's home pursuant to a search warrant and located what appeared to be the plaid jacket and shoes that Defendant wore during the shooting. The registered owner of the Toyota Avalon, a known adult male herein Witness, was identified and interviewed. Witness described that he had been asked to drive around with someone he knew as "Shady" in exchange for gas money. Witness reported that "Shady" drove the car and then he rode in the passenger seat.
