Courts

Man charged in connection to shooting that injured National Guard troops in Minneapolis

April 19, 2021

A man possibly connected to a shooting that injured two National Guard soldiers in north Minneapolis early Sunday morning is facing federal charges in U.S. District Court. 

The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday that 28-year-old Andrew Thomas has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The release from the Attorney’s Office does not accuse Thomas of shooting at the National Guard soldiers, only saying that he and a juvenile passenger were arrested Sunday evening in an SUV that matched the description of the one sought in connection with the shooting.

The Justice Department says that at approximately 4:20 a.m., a light-colored SUV driving on West Broadway Avenue fired multiple shots at the team. One bullet went through the windshield of the team’s military vehicle, which held four soldiers. Two soldiers of the Minnesota National Guard sustained minor injuries: one was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries from shattered glass; the other was treated at the scene for superficial wounds.

Thomas and the

juvenile were arrested in south Minneapolis late Sunday evening. Police made the felony stop after locating a 2002 Ford Explorer that matched the description of the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting earlier in the day.

Officers found a semi-automatic pistol and a .22 caliber revolver in the vehicle, along with ammunition and two discharged cartridge casings. 

The shooting occurred shortly after Representative Maxine Waters joined protesters in Minnesota on Saturday night.

Waters told the protesters at gathered Brooklyn Center that she will fight for justice on their behalf and urged them to ‘to get more confrontational’ – just one day after protests descended into violence. The judge in the Derek Chauvin trial later admonished Water’s remarks and said her comments could lead to appeal.

Thomas was arrested because he was previously convicted of a felony Hennepin County. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Thomas will appear before a federal judge on Tuesday. 

Categories: Courts, Military, Police, Politics

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