PICTURED: Minnesota man, 19, gunned down during ‘gang’ brawl at Mall of America: Five teenagers are arrested after stopping to EAT while fleeing White Castle – while cops track down sixth suspect in connection with shooting to hunt
- The victim of Friday night’s brawl at the Minnesota complex has been identified as 19-year-old Johntae Hudson
- Five teenagers, including three youths, have been arrested in connection with the Christmas weekend shooting – a sixth suspect is still being pursued
- The shooting is only the second murder at the Mall of America
Five teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a man, now identified as Johntae Hudson, at the Mall of America over Christmas weekend.
Two 18-year-olds and three 17-year-olds were arrested at their homes at 8.40am on Saturday morning, around 12 hours after Hudson, 19, was fatally shot during a fight at the huge shopping complex.
A sixth suspect is still being pursued by police, they confirmed.
According to Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, the five arrested stopped at a White Castle to quench their craving for a bite after fleeing the scene.
Friday night’s victim has been identified as 19-year-old Johntae Hudson of St. Paul
Wright and Depratto were arrested Saturday morning in connection with the deadly shooting that occurred Friday night at the Mall of America
“The people we arrested here after the shooting apparently felt it was necessary to be given food. So they went to White Castle… and got a Crave package,” said a visibly upset Hodges.
The 18-year-olds involved in the brawl that turned into murder have been identified as Taeshawn Wright and Deandre Depratto.
The 17-year-olds were not publicly identified by police as minors.
The victim of Friday night’s brawl – which was an escalation of a “longstanding feud” between two groups of teenagers – has been identified as Johntae Hudson of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Hudson’s sister, Ja’Nayea, 22, tearfully explained that her brother “should go to the mall to find a sweater to match his shoes to go to his friend’s birthday that night.”
When Ja’Nayea got a call that her brother had been shot, she said she initially “hoped like it was just a little gunshot wound or something”.
That hope fell when she heard first responders were “trying to find a pulse.”
A close friend of the victim, Hawi Abdurahman, said the shooting should never have happened at the Mall of America in the days leading up to Christmas.
“The code of the streets says you don’t do that around families, like kids at that,” he said. “This shouldn’t happen in a mall where kids and people shop.”
“Stay away from the wrong crowds, because the wrong crowds will lead you to ruin,” Hudson said.
Police Chief Booker Hodges said the suspects fled the scene and stopped by a White Castle for a snack after Friday night’s deadly shooting
The death is only the second homicide at the Mall of America and the first involving a gun
The family set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
Hodges initially reported that the suspects “flat out” refused to cooperate, adding that some of them refused to give their names.
Friday’s death is only the second murder in Mall of America history and the first involving a firearm. The first was a 1999 domestic stabbing.
“If you come here and murder people in our mall, you get something like this for Christmas,” Hodges said, holding up an orange prison jumpsuit and matching orange Santa hat.
‘Five people got one of these today.
“We don’t play that here. you go to jail And we’re going to make sure everyone else who helped these people goes to jail, too,” he said.