HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minn. — One of the defendants charged in a deadly shooting outside a Richfield school is pleading not guilty, according to Hennepin County court documents released on Monday.
Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, is one of two men charged on three counts of second-degree murder — along with 18-year-old Fernando Valdez-Alvarez — after a shooting incident outside of Richfield's South Education Center on Feb. 1, 2022.
During a Monday hearing, Solis pleaded not guilty to the shooting that claimed the life of 15-year-old Jahmari Rice and injured two others — a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old.
The shooting rocked the Richfield community and left a family in mourning, while a Richfield school was left to cope with the loss of one of its students — shutting down for two days following the incident.
Richfield police say the three victims and the two defendants were among a group of five students who engaged in an argument near the school that turned violent, leading to shots fired.
The 19-year-old victim told police the 17-year-old victim punched Solis once before Valdez-Alvarez opened fire, sending the three victims fleeing back toward the school.
A criminal complaint states Valdez-Alvarez and Solis then fled the scene in a gold SUV.
Court documents state the group of five was seen by a bystander and school staffer before the shooting, and police later recovered 9 mm shell casings near the scene of the crime.
Police executed search warrants at the homes of each defendant. At Solis' home, they found a 9 mm handgun and clothing that matched the description of what Solis was wearing earlier in the day. At Valdez-Alvarez's house, police found a matching gold SUV.
Speaking at a vigil for her son, Jahmari Rice's mother Shyrese James described him as "a straight-A student [and] a star quarterback."
"Jahmari tried to make wrong right, he never wanted to see anybody hurt, he always tried to help," she said. "I'm confused, I'm hurt and I don't wish this pain on nobody."
Solis' trial date is scheduled for Oct. 24, 2022, while Fernando Valdez-Alvarez has a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
