MINNEAPOLIS — A short confrontation in a Richfield school parking lot among five students ended with one fatally shot while running away and two others wounded, according to charges filed Friday afternoon.
Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, and Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, both of Minneapolis, each were charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in Hennepin County District Court in connection with the gunfire outside South Education Center that killed 15-year-old sophomore Jahmari Rice.
A 17-year-old student also was shot in the chest and remains hospitalized in critical condition at HCMC, according to the charges. A 19-year-old student suffered minor injuries, but Police Lt. Brad Drayna said Friday that the wounds were not a result of gunfire. The surviving students have not been identified.
Solis remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail. He appeared in court Friday afternoon without an attorney. Judge Lyonel Norris sent him back to jail and urged him to secure legal representation by Monday.
Valdez-Alvarez followed, and Norris set his bail at $500,000 with certain conditions should he meet that amount and be released. Prosecutor Judith Cole argued for $800,000 because "the state is very much concerned about flight risk."
Cole also said that there is evidence on phones that raises "concerns about retaliations" connected with the shooting.
Valdez-Alvarez's attorney, J.C. Horvath, noted that his client has no previous adult criminal history and nothing in his juvenile background other than two traffic offenses. Valdez-Alvarez is due back in court on March 2.
The two suspects and three victims all attended South Education Center and "are acquaintances," Police Chief Jay Henthorne said earlier this week. Classes resumed Friday morning after being canceled after the shooting.
"Our community is dealing with a tremendous tragedy this week," read a statement from County Attorney Mike Freeman. "The senseless shooting outside a school in Richfield that took the life of 15-year-old Jahmari Rice and critically wounded another teenage victim is extremely unsettling. ... In these difficult times, we must band together as a community and do what we can to ensure justice is met."
Based on accounts from staff members at the scene and the less seriously wounded student, the charges spelled out how the incident turned deadly:
All five students were walking out of the school Tuesday during the noon hour, when "there was a short confrontation in the parking lot" and the 17-year-old punched Solis once. Valdez-Alvarez pulled a gun from his pocket and started shooting.
Solis and Valdez-Alvarez ran to an SUV as the other three ran toward the school. As Valdez-Alvarez drove off with Solis with him, several more shots were fired from the vehicle and hit Rice as he ran toward the school.
The complaint did not say who fired the shots from the SUV. "That part we are still putting together" as investigators review surveillance video and other evidence, Drayna said Friday afternoon.
Police arrived that same day at Solis' home and during their search seized a 9-millimeter handgun from a bedroom and an empty magazine and 9-millimeter ammunition. A similar search at the home of Valdez-Alvarez turned up the SUV the two were seen using when fleeing the school.
Both were arrested at their homes.
Solis and Valdez-Alvarez do not appear to have juvenile records or any criminal history in Minnesota beyond minor traffic violations, according to a law enforcement source.
Police executed five additional search warrants in all, including one in Crystal, where they recovered a gun, the chief said Wednesday, adding that ballistics testing would determine if either firearm was used in the shooting.
Rice played football for two seasons at Richfield High School before his recent transfer to South Education Center, an alternative high school in Richfield. Tuesday was his second day at his new school. Football coach Kris Pulford said Rice transferred to the school "just so he could find a place where he can be successful."
There have been two previous fatal shootings at schools in Minnesota in the past 18-plus years.
In March 2005, 16-year-old Jeff Weise killed his grandfather and the man's girlfriend, then headed to Red Lake High School, where he killed five students, a teacher and a security guard before killing himself.
In September 2003 in Cold Spring, 15-year-old John Jason McLaughlin fatally shot fellow Rocori High School students Seth Bartell, 14, and Aaron Rollins, 17.
McLaughlin is serving a life sentence and is not eligible for parole until he serves at least 30 years. Mental health experts testified at his trial. Three diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, and three diagnosed him with a major depressive disorder in remission.
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