Teen is third person charged in shooting of Minneapolis officer

A third person has been charged in connection with the shooting of an on-duty Minneapolis police officer last month, a Hennepin County prosecutor said Friday during a court hearing for another defendant in the case.

Four people — three adults and a juvenile — were arrested and hospitalized after the Aug. 11 shooting of officer Jacob Spies. All but one suspect has been charged. A bullet struck Spies in the shoulder and narrowly missed a major artery.

Frederick Leon Davis, 19, of Minneapolis, faces one count of attempted second-degree murder. Nevaeh Lee Page, 20, of Brooklyn Park, faces one count of aiding an offender.

Patrick Lofton, senior assistant Hennepin County attorney, said at a court hearing for Davis on Friday that another teen had been charged in juvenile court. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office declined to describe the charges against that teenager or confirm his age. If he is under 16, records are not public. Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. Garrett Parten said the charges are sealed.

The third adult, who also is 19 and cooperated with investigators, was released from jail four days after the shooting. The Star Tribune doesn't typically name suspects until they are formally charged.

Davis, who has pled not guilty to attempted murder, also faces federal charges of unlawfully possessing a machine gun. He's accused of firing a dozen rounds at Spies' unmarked squad car as the officer pursued a stolen vehicle.

A 9mm Glock 19 illegally converted with a "switch" to make it fully automatic was found on the front floorboard where Davis was sitting. A Polymer80 "ghost gun" without serial numbers also was found by investigators, federal charges say. There were 15 discharged casings recovered from the vehicle.

Spies, a seven-year veteran of the force who was awarded a Medal of Honor, was working on a focused enforcement detail that evening with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and was on the lookout for a stolen Chevrolet Equinox that was linked to a violent robbery and fleeing police.

The officer spotted the Chevy and followed it. Near the 4300 block of Colfax Avenue N., Spies was hit by a volley of automatic gunfire. He drove away and a colleague pulled him from his vehicle and raced to the hospital.

Backup officers saw the same Equinox and began a high-speed pursuit spanning 26 blocks until the Chevy crashed into a parked car. Davis and Page fled on foot. The teen stumbled out of the car while the uncharged 19-year-old stayed in the vehicle. All were arrested.

That 19-year-old told authorities they were headed to a party when Davis noticed a white sedan he didn't recognize tailing them. He heard Davis say, "It's gonna happen right here," before Davis threw the Chevy in park and got out of the vehicle.

An eyewitness saw someone matching Davis' description unload a flurry of shots.

In court Friday, Davis' public defender Elizabeth Karp asked the judge to lower bail — previously set at $1 million — to $50,000 for conditional release.

"He is ready to fight this case and move forward," Karp said. "Him reoffending or not appearing for court will not be an issue."

Karp added that this is Davis' first offense and he lives with his mother, where he would agree to be on electric home monitoring.

Lofton said Davis was riding around with multiple guns — one fully automatic and the other a ghost gun — and had a juvenile in the car.

"He's a danger to public safety despite a lack of convictions," Lofton said.

He remains in custody. His next court appearance is Oct. 24. Page was released from custody five days after the shooting. She appears in court Oct. 3.

Caligiuri also agreed to seal video from body-worn cameras from public view, as requested by Lofton. The order is to protect the identities of undercover deputies, but the defense still is entitled to view videos as part of routine discovery.