Man, 19, pleads guilty to attempted murder for shooting of Minneapolis police officer

Moments before his trial was set to begin Monday morning, a 19-year-old man pleaded guilty to shooting and wounding a Minneapolis police officer last summer and looks to serve around a decade in prison.

As part of his guilty plea to one count of attempted second-degree intentional murder, Fredrick Davis Jr. admitted to firing a dozen shots. He’s the second suspect to plead guilty in the Aug. 11 shooting of MPD officer Jacob Spies, who was struck in the back of the shoulder and out of work for months.

Spies, a seven-year veteran with MPD, returned to work full time in November. The department was asked for comment shortly after Davis entered his plea in Hennepin County District Court. Messages were also left with Davis’ public defender and prosecutors.

When Davis returns to court May 16, District Judge Hilary Caligiuri can impose a sentence ranging from 11 to 13 years, according to plea terms.

In December, a teenager also pleaded guilty and was sentenced for his role in the shooting.

William Ward Jr., 17, who shot at Spies but did not strike him, was charged with attempted second-degree murder. As part of his plea, Ward is receiving treatment at the Red Wing juvenile facility and will remain on extended probation until he’s 21. If he violates probation, the court could impose a 13-year adult sentence.

“It is essential that violent offenders know that they will be held accountable for their senseless actions,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement.  “It is also essential that victims, their families, and our affected communities are provided some sense of justice.  I am thankful for our investigators and the prosecutors who worked so diligently to ensure this individual is held accountable for his actions, and our community is safe from him for at least the next 10 years.  That is the least we can provide to Officer Spies, his family, our communities, the members of the Minneapolis Police Departmen,t and our greater law enforcement community.”

Just before 8 p.m. Aug. 11, officers observed a white Chevrolet Equinox in the area of a robbery that had just occurred in north Minneapolis. The Chevy initially pulled over but then sped away, according to the charges.

Spies was driving alone in an unmarked vehicle as part of a focused enforcement detail when he saw the Chevy about an hour later and pursued it for about a mile. As he crested a hill, Spies noticed the Chevy parked with its lights off. Suddenly he was hit by a volley of automatic gunfire and felt his arm go numb.

He drove off and a backup officer pulled him from the vehicle and raced him to the hospital. Responding officers later spotted the Chevy and initiated a high-speed chase that continued for 26 blocks until the Chevy crashed into a parked car.

Charges do not list a motive for the shooting, or indicate whether the suspects knew they were targeting law enforcement. In addition to driving an unmarked sedan with tinted windows, Spies was wearing a blue Minneapolis police T-shirt rather than full uniform.

Investigators found two firearms in the car: a fully automatic Glock 19 equipped with a switch on the front floorboard of Davis’ seat and a Polymer80 9mm “ghost gun” without serial numbers in the back where Ward was sitting.

Preliminary ballistics evidence suggests the Glock fired 12 shots and the 9mm fired three.