Taesawn Adams-Wright and 3 others charged in Mall of America shooting

Four suspects were charged Thursday in connection with last weekend’s fatal shooting at Minnesota’s Mall of America – with more arrests expected in the future, according to authorities and reports.

Prosecutors have charged 18-year-old Taesawn Adams-Wright with second-degree murder and second-degree assault in the Dec. 23 shooting that killed 19-year-old Johntae Hudson, Bloomington police said in a press release on Thursday. Two other teens, both 17 and unidentified by police, have been charged with second-degree rioting by the Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office.

A fourth teenager still wanted by police has been charged with second-degree murder, the Star Tribune reported. A nationwide arrest warrant for the 17-year-old has been issued.

Two other suspects arrested in connection with the fatal shooting have not been charged because of this lack of cooperation, Hodges told the Tribune.

Hudson was shot eight times after two groups of young men got into a fight, police said. Shoppers quickly fled the hail of bullets and the country’s largest mall was blocked.

He died in the men’s section of Nordstrom despite best efforts by witnesses, security guards and first responders to save him. Police found bullet casings near Hudson’s body, along with a .40 caliber pistol that « has been determined to be associated » with Hudson, according to the charges.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said in a statement that the investigation was far from over as police struggled to get answers from those involved.

“This continues to be an active investigation, and we expect additional arrests and criminal charges associated with this case in the near future. Our detectives continue to work tirelessly on this case,” Hodges said.

“Their work is made more difficult because those involved have been and continue to be uncooperative. Despite this, our efforts to lock up all those responsible for this incident will not cease. »

The Tribune reported that it is unclear if Hudson fired a gun or who fired first.

“It looks like he had a gun next to him and it fired twice,” Hodges reportedly said of Hudson, also noting. « We don’t know the sequence yet. »

During the gunfire, a woman’s buttocks were injured by an apparent graz of a bullet, the charges allege, the Tribune reported.

Mall spokeswoman Laura Utecht said metal detectors were placed at the mall’s north entrance in October during a testing phase, but weren’t working during the latest shooting. Other security measures have been put in place.

With post wires