Hennepin County prosecutors have brought charges against suspects in three recent shootings in Minneapolis, including a late-night attack at a downtown bar over the weekend that left three people injured.
Charges were filed against at least five people in the incidents, which came during an especially bloody week in the city. Authorities said that at least one of the assaults was believed to be gang-related.
As of Monday, 138 people had been wounded in shootings across the city this year, one fewer than the 139 gunshot victims at this time last year, department statistics show.
At least two people have been charged in connection with a July 20 shooting outside Rouge at the Lounge, at 411 N. 2nd Av., that left three people with gunshot wounds, all noncritical.
Police say that shortly after 1 a.m., a brawl broke out between two groups of men outside the bar. Bouncers were trying to break up the fight with pepper spray when gunfire erupted.
Interviews with witnesses and victims, and footage from a nearby surveillance camera, led detectives to one of the suspected shooters, Jonathan Chavez-Galarza, 21, who has been charged with second-degree assault. Another man, 24-year-old Agustin Martinez, faces riot charges after police say he started firing at the other group only to have his gun jam.
Police say they recovered more than 10 spent shell casings from the crime scene, as well as "multiple live rounds" of two different calibers.
Authorities also used surveillance video to identify Alvaro Aleman, who was charged with being involved in a fight between the Sureños and WSK 13 gangs that ended in gunplay.