Dispute among students led to shooting outside Richfield school, police said

Richfield police said a disagreement among students led to the shooting outside a school Tuesday that killed one student, seriously wounded another and left a third with minor injuries.

Two suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, but were arrested Tuesday night and remain in custody, Police Chief Jay Henthorne said at a news conference at Richfield City Hall on Wednesday. He identified them as Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, and Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, of Minneapolis.

Police arrested the young men at separate locations several hours after the gunfire outside South Education Center killed 15-year-old Jahmari Rice and hit another student, age 17, who was taken to HCMC by ambulance in critical condition and whose identity has yet to be released. A third student at the school, who is 19 years old, suffered "minor injuries" at the scene but was not hospitalized. The chief said he was not sure whether those injuries were from gunfire.

The two suspects and three victims all attended South Education Center and "are acquaintances," the chief said, declining to say more.

The suspects are being held without bail in the Hennepin County Detention Center on suspicion of murder and are awaiting charges, according to police and the jail log. Henthorne said investigators are working with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, which will determine any charges.

Solis and Valdez-Alvarez do not appear to have juvenile records or any criminal history in Minnesota beyond minor traffic violations, according to a law enforcement source.

Police Lt. Brad Drayna said the suspects were arrested just after 6 p.m. Tuesday after police executed search warrants at two Minneapolis addresses and recovered a handgun. Drayna said the department is not looking for other suspects.

Police executed five additional search warrants, including one in Crystal, where they also recovered a gun, the chief said Wednesday, adding that ballistics testing would determine whether either firearm was used in the shooting. Police also said they located the vehicle in which the pair fled.

Rice's mother, Shyrese James, told the Star Tribune that authorities didn't tell her about her son's death until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

She said Jahmari Rice told her the night before the shooting that he loved her, and his serious tone gave her reason to worry, James said.

"He was only 15, and they slaughtered my son," James said.

James described Rice as a "bubbly" teenager who loved his family and football. He wanted to play football in college, she said.

"When he touched the field, the field would just light up," she said. "He was a star."

Rice was living with his grandmother to be closer to his new school in Richfield, James said. He has four brothers and one sister, who are all struggling with the news of his death, James said.

"There's nothing in the world to describe the pain of losing a child to a gun," James said as she tried to choke back sobs.

Richfield Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez, who joined the police chief at Wednesday's news conference, said, "You see the news, and you don't think this will happen in your community."

The mayor said Jahmari Rice "should have had a lifetime of joy and happiness ahead of him. … A school should be a place where every student feels safe and comfortable. … And that was shattered yesterday."

Rice's father is Cortez Rice, who is in custody on charges of trying to intimidate Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu, who presided over former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter's manslaughter trial last month. Potter was convicted of killing Daunte Wright and awaits sentencing.

Cortez Rice appeared in court Wednesday for a previously scheduled virtual hearing and was hoping to be given a furlough from Judge William Leary to attend services for his son, which have yet to be arranged.

Leary expressed his condolences to Cortez Rice, then put off agreeing to a furlough from the county workhouse. Leary said he first wanted specifics on when and where services for Jahmari Rice would be held.

Cortez Rice did not speak during the proceeding but wiped away tears.

Leary's delay on the furlough ruling unleashed a cacophony of verbal protest from many who joined the virtual proceedings, prompting the judge to swiftly call an end to the proceeding.

"He can't plan his funeral from jail," one observer said. Another shouted a vulgarity directed at the judge, while a woman declared, "Black lives matter."

Tuesday was Rice's second day at South Education Center, said Kris Pulford, the head football coach at Richfield High School, where Rice played as a freshman and as a sophomore.

Pulford said Rice transferred to the school "just so he could find a place where he can be successful."

By Wednesday afternoon, a pile of balloons, flowers, candles and a few footballs had been placed in the snow outside the school. The parking lot was nearly empty and, other than the gentle rustle of the balloons, the school grounds were quiet.

A few dozen people gathered outside for a vigil Wednesday evening, releasing balloons and lighting votive candles.

Rice's mother, stepfather and other relatives were among them. His stepfather, Charles Beard, said the family still doesn't know what led up to the shooting.

"It's really, really hard," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.

A few miles from the vigil, Hope Church in Richfield hosted its own night to remember Rice, who was a member of the Richfield branch of Young Life. Other members of the group and classmates who knew Rice from Richfield High School were invited to the church to gather and process their grief. The mood was mostly positive — with several teens playing spirited games of basketball in the gym — but every few minutes, a student would pause to watch a slideshow of photos of Rice or step into a candlelit room where they could write a memory or message about the 15-year-old they knew.

"These kids need a place to process this — to laugh or cry or just be together," said Cesar Castillejos, who runs the group and knew Rice well.

Sandy Lewandowski, the superintendent of Intermediate District 287, said the school is tentatively planning to bring students back Friday "to the extent they are ready to come back" with robust mental health support available. She said staff would gather to grieve, share and support one another Wednesday and Thursday.

"It will take our school community time to grieve and time to heal. … I am devastated," Lewandowski said. "We are all devastated."

The school district covers 11 cities in the west metro and serves students with emotional and behavioral disorders, severe autism and others who can benefit from a nontraditional school setting.

In September, a student brought a gun to South Education Center in his backpack. The student did not threaten to harm anyone, and "everything was handled swiftly," school district spokeswoman Rachel Hicks said at the time.

Hicks added that South Education Center previously phased out the use of metal detectors at school entrances.

The district in recent years also removed all school resource officers and replaced them with student safety coaches to focus on building relationships and working on mental health issues.

Staff writers Liz Sawyer and Eder Campuzano contributed to this report.