MINNEAPOLIS — Two people are charged for their alleged roles in the shooting of a Minneapolis police officer who was following their vehicle last Friday.
Criminal complaints were filed Tuesday in Hennepin County charging 19-year-old Frederick Leon Davis with attempted second-degree murder, and 20-year-old Nevaeh Lee Page with aiding an offender after the fact.
Prosecutors say the officer was working in an unmarked squad that night when just after 9 p.m., he spotted a white Chevy Equinox near the intersection of Dowling and Morgan Avenues N. that was suspected stolen and linked to two incidents of fleeing police. The officer began following the SUV to keep tabs on it until marked squad cars could arrive to pull it over.
About eight blocks later the unmarked squad car came to the crest of a hill and the officer noticed the Equinox parked with the lights turned off. The officer said he heard gunshots, saw the flash of a muzzle, felt his arm go numb and realized he'd been shot. He radioed for help and was treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder at North Memorial Medical Center.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara later said at a press conference that the incident had all the markings of an ambush-style shooting.
The Equinox fled the scene at a high rate of speed, and police squads pursued it for approximately 26 blocks before it crashed. Two adults, later identified as Davis and Page, tried to escape on foot but were caught by officers and a K9. A juvenile was taken to the hospital with a head injury and a third adult still inside the crumpled vehicle was arrested.
A witness to the shooting gave police a physical description of the shooter and the clothes he was wearing, which matched Davis. Police say one of the occupants of the SUV also identified Davis as the gunman.
Searches of the suspected stolen vehicle turned up two weapons, a 9mm "ghost gun" and a Glock 19 with a switch to make it fully automatic. A preliminary review of the guns suggests the Glock was fired a dozen times, and the 9mm ghost gun three times.
Page was an occupant of the Equinox, and while she admitted Davis was the driver of the vehicle, she claimed to be asleep in the back seat when the shooting occurred. She would not identify the shooter or clearly identify the other two passengers.
“We experienced a disturbing level of gun violence over the weekend. The danger that comes with all gun violence is intensified when firearms are modified to make them fully automatic, as occurred in this attack,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in a release announcing the charges. “Our office will continue to prioritize prosecution of this type of violence, to bring justice for victims and their families, and to get these dangerous weapons off the street."
The two are scheduled to make their first court appearances Wednesday afternoon. Forensic testing of crime scene evidence, the suspect vehicle, and two recovered firearms is pending.
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