MINNEAPOLIS — Richfield police said a disagreement between students led to the shooting outside a local school Tuesday that killed one student, seriously wounded another and left a third with minor injuries.
Police Chief Jay Henthorne and other officials shared additional details of the investigation with news media at Richfield City Hall on Wednesday morning. He identified two suspects arrested Tuesday night as Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, and Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, of Minneapolis.
Police arrested the young men at separate locations several hours after the gunfire outside South Education Center killed 15-year-old Jahmari Rice and hit another student, age 17, who was taken to HCMC by ambulance in critical condition and whose identity has yet to be released. A third student at the school, who is 19 years old, suffered "minor injuries" at the scene but was not hospitalized, and the chief said he was not sure whether the injuries were from gunfire.
The two suspects and three victims are all South Education Center students, and "are acquaintances," but the chief declined to say more. The suspects were not together at the time of their arrests, the chief said.
Solis and Valdez-Alvarez are being held without bail in the Hennepin County Detention Center on suspicion of murder awaiting charges, according to police and the jail log. Henthorne said investigators are working with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, which will review the case and determine any charges.
Police Lt. Brad Drayna said the suspects were arrested just after 6 p.m. Tuesday after police executed search warrants at two Minneapolis addresses and recovered a handgun. Drayna also said the department was not looking for any other suspects.
A close friend of Rice's family, Damik Bryant, organized a candlelight vigil Tuesday night outside the school. Bryant's brother Daunte Wright was killed by a Brooklyn Center police officer, Kimberly Potter, during a traffic stop in April.
"I hope that this wakes the city up," Bryant said. "We need change. We're out here fighting for the community, and the community takes Cortez's son. That makes no sense."
Rice's father is Cortez Rice, who is in custody on charges of trying to intimidate Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu, who presided over Potter's manslaughter trial last month. She was convicted of killing of Wright and awaits sentencing.
Cortez Rice appeared in court Wednesday for a previously scheduled virtual hearing and was hoping to be given a furlough from Judge William Leary to attend services for his son, which have yet to be arranged.
Leary, expressed his condolences to Cortez Rice, then put off agreeing to a furlough from the county workhouse. Leary said he first wanted specifics on when and where services for Jahmari Rice would be held.
Cortez Rice, who did not speak during the proceeding, wiped away tears while hearing that his short-term fate would remain in limbo.
Leary's delay on the furlough ruling unleashed a cacophony of verbal protest from many who joined the virtual proceedings, prompting the judge to swiftly call an end to the proceeding.
"He can't plan his funeral from jail," one observer said. Another shouted a vulgarity directed at the judge, while a woman declared "Black lives matter."
Tuesday was Rice's second day at the South Education Center, said Kris Pulford, the head football coach at Richfield High School, where Rice played as a freshman and as a sophomore this past season.
"When he had things going, he was very intense, a very positive kid," Pulford said of Rice, who earned a bit of time on the varsity team last season. "He stood up for his buddies, and he loved the game of football."
Pulford said Rice transferred to his new school "just so he could find a place where he can be successful."
Chaz Neal, a friend of Cortez Rice, said a second candlelight vigil for Jahmari Rice is being planned for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the school. Neal said Tuesday night, "We need to put the guns down. We need transparency."
South Education Center is part of Intermediate District 287, which covers 11 cities in the west metro and serves students with emotional and behavioral disorders, severe autism and others who can benefit from a nontraditional school setting.
In September, a student brought a gun to South Education Center in his backpack. The student did not threaten to harm anyone, and "everything was handled swiftly," school district spokeswoman Rachel Hicks said at the time.
Hicks added that South Education Center phased out the use of metal detectors at school entrances.
Also, the district in recent years removed all school resource officers and replaced them with student safety coaches to focus on building relationships and working on mental health issues.
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