RICHFIELD, Minn. — Investigators in Richfield say they have identified a person who they know to be "directly involved" in the fatal shooting of a man back in 2017.
Jonathan O'Shaughnessy, just 24 at the time of his death, was the victim of a drive-by shooting following Richfield's annual Fourth of July street dance on July 3, 2017. At the time, police said they responded to the scene just after 11 p.m. and found O'Shaughnessy lying in the street suffering from two gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the months and years that followed O'Shaughnessy's murder, his mother Cynthia Kuntz and her family found ways to honor him, including organizing monthly "Pay it Forward" events to give back to the community and sponsoring a memorial bench just a few feet from where he was killed.
Kuntz talked to KARE 11 Friday, days after receiving a call from Richfield Police and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In it, they told Kuntz they identified a person they know to be directly involved in Jonathan's murder.
"The call was just surreal," said Kuntz. "It’s like something you never even plan for; it makes me hopeful."
A statement released by Richfield police Friday suggests some answers about what happened that night may be forthcoming.
"The Richfield Police Department and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have identified a person they know to be directly involved in the murder of Jonathan O’Shaughnessy and continue to investigate his role in this incident," reads the statement, which was shared with KARE 11's Jennifer Hoff. "As with any ongoing investigation, police do and will continue to develop leads in this case and welcome any additional information anyone may have."
Police add that many people with both direct and indirect knowledge of O'Shaughnessy's death have been interviewed, and add that some have been cooperative while others have not.
"We want this solved, we need this solved," said Kuntz, who also revealed publicly for the first time that she and another family member were there when Jonathan was shot. "We had waited for a car to pass us on Portland and little did we know that they flipped a u-ey to follow us and when the shots rang out, it was like, gosh, was that firecrackers?"
Kuntz says her son died in her arms.
"It’s such an awful, awful thing to live the rest of your life that you saw your son be murdered and there’s no answers yet," said Kuntz.
A $50,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to an arrest in O'Shaughnessy's death.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Richfield Police Department at (800) 222-8477, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) at 651-793-7000 or Crimestoppers (800) 222-8477.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: