Charges have been made public against a teenager accused of being one of two shooters who killed a 19-year-old man at the Mall of America four weeks ago before his mother allegedly drove him to Georgia.
Lavon S. Longstreet, 17, of Minneapolis, has been charged in a juvenile petition filed in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder and second-degree assault in connection with the shooting on Dec. 23 that killed Johntae Hudson, of St. Paul, in the Nordstrom department store.
Police say Longstreet and another defendant facing the same felony counts, TaeShawn Adams-Wright, 18, of Minneapolis, stood over Hudson and shot him multiple times, charges against both of them read.
The County Attorney's Office noted in the juvenile petition that it intends to pursue having Longstreet, who turns 18 in six weeks, prosecuted as an adult. That move would mean a more severe sentence should he be convicted.
Longstreet was arrested in Decatur, Ga., on Tuesday, according to Bloomington police. His 39-year-old mother was located in Golden Valley, jailed on suspicion of aiding and abetting but released Thursday afternoon without being charged on suspicion that she drove her son to Georgia. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
Deputy Police Chief Kim Clauson said Friday her department forwarded its case against the mother but the County Attorney's Office "deferred [charges] pending further investigation."
County Attorney Mary Moriarty declined to specify a reason that charges were not filed while the mother was in custody, adding, "The Bloomington Police Department has conducted a thorough investigation thus far, and attorneys from our office continue to work with them to develop evidence that could support additional charges."
Two other 17-year-olds were charged earlier as juveniles with second-degree riot for their alleged role in the shooting inside the store as customers and employees scrambled for cover.
