By Crime Watch MN
MINNEAPOLIS – A felon previously identified as a Native Mob gang member has been charged in a murder and shooting spree last month in south Minneapolis that left two people dead and two others injured.
Joshua Anthony Jones, 36, of Bemidji, Minn., has been charged in three separate cases with two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, and three counts of illegal firearms possession for the shootings that occurred throughout the day on Sept. 18 near area homeless encampments.
The spree began before 5 a.m. that day when two people were shot at or near a homeless encampment on the 2500 block of 17th Avenue South. One person died in the shooting, and the other was injured after both were reportedly shot in their heads. The suspect was apparently recognized by one of the injured parties or a witness as a Native Mob gang member who was named as Jones at the time, according to police scanner audio.
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Minneapolis Police are investigating an early morning fatal shooting at a homeless encampment.
September 18, 2024, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara announced Wednesday that a double shooting at a homeless encampment left one injured and one dead. At approximately 4:40… pic.twitter.com/bT0Pi1dPlV— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) September 18, 2024
Another shooting occurred the same day about 12 hours later at 4:20 p.m., when another person was shot and killed on the 2500 block of Bloomington Avenue South, also near an encampment.
Just about an hour later, around 5:19 p.m., another person was shot near East Phillips Park, and the suspect was again described as a Native Mob gang member in a red Jeep Cherokee, according to police scanner audio at the time. Further dispatches indicated that the suspect may have been taken into custody in the area, but police were having difficulty identifying him.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) initially announced charges against Jones in the two latter cases on one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder, and indicated that Jones was still being investigated for the early morning homicide.
This week, the HCAO announced further charges against Jones in the first shooting and homicide that include one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder. The charges state that in addition to shooting two people that morning, one of whom died, Jones also fired shots at a third person who was not injured by the gunfire.
Jones is also charged in each of the three cases with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Minnesota court documents in prior cases against Jones identify him as a Native Mob gang member, and in 2018, Jones attacked a corrections officer at Oak Park Heights, seriously injuring him.
Jones also has another pending case on a charge of second-degree assault for a shooting in March of this year near Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, as well as two cases involving felony auto theft, and felony fleeing in one case.
Jones remains in custody in Hennepin County Jail on a bail amount of $1.5 million and is scheduled to make his next court appearance in the cases on Oct. 24.
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
This article originally appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
