Three charged in Little Earth shooting that left 6 injured

Hennepin County prosecutors on Friday announced charges against two men and a woman they say are responsible for a shooting at the Little Earth housing project in Minneapolis that left six people injured earlier this week.

Rico King, 21, of Minneapolis, faces five counts of second-degree assault and one count of second-degree riot. Georgina Kellum, 35, of Crystal, was charged with one count of aiding an offender-accomplice after the fact because police say she hid one of the guns used in the shooting and then lied to investigators. Prosecutors also issued an arrest warrant for Francisco Reyes, 21, of Minneapolis, on charges of second-degree assault and second-degree riot.

The announcement came two days after the shooting, which happened amid a surge in gun violence with at least 18 people shot citywide in the past two weeks.

The victims in Wednesday's shooting range in age from 14 to 46 and were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. At least two of the victims remain in critical condition.

A wounded 14-year-old boy, whose identity hasn't been released, remains in custody as prosecutors weigh charges against him. Reyes, who was shot in the foot, was seen clutching what appeared to be an assault-style rifle, but he never fired the weapon, police said.

"Fortunately, when the shooting began, it appears he was unable to get the firearm out from under his clothing," a criminal complaint said.

A search of two nearby townhouses turned up ammunition and several firearms, including an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, according to the filings. Authorities said it was unclear whether they were illegally obtained.

Jolene Jones, president of the complex's Residents Association, said Friday that the community was still raw with pain. She said many residents had known the 14-year-old all his life, adding, "he's never had an issue in this community."

"This is a young man who most of us watched grow up in this community and he's never been a problem," she said. She said residents were talking with local youth about the violence they see in the area.

"We don't want it to be normal," Jones said. "We don't want it to be normal for them to run for their lives."

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman called the shooting "tragic" at a Friday afternoon news conference, and he called on lawmakers to tighten the state's gun laws. Blame for the shooting could not be placed on any one person, he said.

"What's a 14-year-old doing with a handgun shooting up people?" he said, adding: "But society's got to do more."