5 Arrested After Fatal Shooting at Mall of America
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022 - VIDEO
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges has confirmed that five people were arrested this morning in connection to a fatal shooting inside the Mall of America on Friday night.
A SWAT operation at an apartment building around 8:40 a.m. on the 200 block of Shelard Pkwy. in Saint Louis Park resulted in the arrests of three 17-year-old males and two 18-year-old males, all booked into jail for suspicion of 2nd-degree murder.
Authorities confirmed the two 18-year-olds arrested are Deandre Antioun Depratto and Taeshawn Adams Wright. Those arrested have not yet been formally charged and the juvenile suspects have not been identified.
> See more of our latest coverage
Chief Hodges says that evidence was recovered inside the apartment unit after a search warrant and that police are “very confident” that the person responsible for the murder is in custody.
Family members have identified the man shot and killed inside the first level of the Nordstrom store as 19-year-old Johntae Hudson. Police say he was shot multiple times and died at the scene.
Witness statements and video surveillance showed a group of males engaging in a “verbal confrontation” seconds before the shooting. After the shooting, several of the group were seen running out of the store, police said.
> Read more Bloomington coverage
Chief Hodges says that those arrested are not cooperating with the investigation and a motive for the shooting has not yet been determined. Hodges said this is the first fatal shooting in the history of the Mall of America.
The Mall went into lockdown for about an hour as police searched for the suspects Friday night. Dozens of officers from surrounding agencies also responded to assist with clearing the Mall and with a perimeter outside.
Hodges described the altercation inside Nordstrom as stemming from “some type of long-running feud.”
The five people believed to be involved with the shooting were all arrested after the Saint Louis Park SWAT operation Saturday morning. Hodges said charges are expected within the next few days.
SWAT team members from the Saint Louis Park, Minnetonka and Edina police departments assisted Bloomington detectives on Saturday.
UPDATE: Taeshawn Adams Wright was formally charged Thursday with one count of aid/abet 2nd-degree murder and one count of aid/abet 2nd-degree assault. A warrant was also issued for a 17-year-old who is still not in custody and believed to be out of the state. Two other 17-year-olds who were un-named in the criminal complaint were formally charged with aiding/abetting 2nd-degree riot for the MOA incident.
TWITTER: Our initial thread as the incident unfolded
> See more of our latest coverage