Officials release lone person jailed after deadly downtown Minneapolis shooting

Law enforcement released from jail the only person arrested so far in connection with the shooting in downtown Minneapolis this past weekend that left two people dead and others wounded.

Also Monday, the family of one of the men killed early Saturday said Lunden Marcel Woodberry was a new father who just got a promotion at work.

Woodberry, 21, of West St. Paul and Benjamin Hezekiah Haggray, 20, died from the gunfire that erupted shortly before 2 a.m. near N. 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue.

Woodberry was shot multiple times, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Haggray, who recently moved to downtown Minneapolis from Georgia, was shot in the abdomen, the Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Two girls, ages 16 and 17, and a 23-year-old woman sustained noncritical injuries. Officials have yet to release their identities.

A 25-year-old man from Gary, Ind., was arrested on suspicion of riot in connection with the shooting, but he was released from jail Tuesday afternoon without police sending a case to the County Attorney’s Office to review for possible charges. The Minnesota Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects who are not charged.

A police spokesman said a statement was being prepared addressing why the man was freed and not yet charged.

Adam Pruitt, Woodberry’s brother, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that “from what people that were present that night said, he had just left a bar, so that leads to me to believe he was trying to enjoy a night on the town.”

Pruitt said his younger brother “was hard-headed, that’s one thing for sure. But he was our hard-headed Lunden.”

The brothers’ grandmother, Cleo Pruitt, said Woodberry was living with her in West St. Paul and named his newborn son Lunden Marcel Woodberry Jr.

Pruitt said her grandson was pursuing a career as a rap singer with the stage name HBK Solo and in the meantime “was promoted not that long ago at Dollar Tree [in Mendota Heights]. He was on his way.”

She said she takes comfort by recalling when he called her one year ago to nearly the day of his death and said, “’Grandma, I just want to let you know that I accepted Jesus as my savior. … I have peace within to know that he’s in heaven.”

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said he’s unsure whether Saturday’s shooting has any connection to the deadly crash at the same intersection.

At least two other shootings also were reported early Saturday in Minneapolis. Police have announced no arrests in either case.

A man was wounded around 12:48 a.m. after a shooting in the 3000 block of Lyndale Avenue S. Officers gave the man medical aid until he was transported to HCMC with noncritical injuries.

Another shooting, reported at 2:46 a.m. in the 5400 block of Nicollet Avenue, injured two. Officers found evidence of gunfire at the scene and were told that two men were taken to HCMC in a private vehicle. Both men had noncritical injuries.