Suspect arrested in New Year's Day shooting that injured 11-year-old Minneapolis girl

From her bedroom window, 11-year-old La'neria Wilson peered outside hoping to catch a glimpse of fireworks from New Year's Eve revelers gathered on her block on Minneapolis' North Side.

A series of pops roused her from the bed where she lay scrolling on her phone just past midnight Monday. Seconds later, a stray bullet whizzed through her window, striking her beneath the right eye.

Blood rushed down her face as La'neria's older sister screamed out for help, she recalled from her hospital bed at HCMC on Wednesday afternoon, where she was being prepped for surgery to remove the bullet fragment.

Minneapolis police arrested a 44-year-old suspect Wednesday morning, following the discovery of surveillance footage and other evidence indicating that he was drinking when he fired an AR-15 style rifle into the air in the 2300 block of Bryant Avenue N.

"It's only by the grace of God that we're here today to talk about this as an injury and not as the first murder of the new year," Chief Brian O'Hara said during an afternoon news conference announcing the arrest. "This shooting happened, and this child was injured, because of absolutely reckless celebratory behavior — drinking and shooting an AR-15 rifle into the air to celebrate New Year's."

The Fridley man — who is a convicted felon barred from carrying a firearm — was booked into the Hennepin County jail on suspicion of first-degree assault.

The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects until they are charged. MPD vowed to aggressively pursue state and federal charges against the shooter.

Nick Kimball, spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, said the case has not yet been submitted to their office. Prosecutors maintain discretion over what charges are ultimately filed.

The suspect has a lengthy criminal history between Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka and Washington counties. Many cases stemmed from driving with a suspended license.

In 2019, the man was convicted of domestic assault by strangulation in Ramsey County, barring him from keeping firearms or ammunition. He served 12 days in jail for the attack on his then-girlfriend before being placed on probation — but was released from supervision early in 2022 due to the pandemic.

Later that year, he was convicted of second-degree assault in Anoka County for attacking a man who reportedly had "a forced sexual encounter" with his girlfriend's daughter. He was jailed for 170 days and placed on supervised probation afterwards, but violated that probation with Monday's early-morning shooting.

"It's outrageous how many people are so stupid to be firing guns off into the air. Whatever goes up must come down," O'Hara said. "That's a weapon of war, an AR-15. That shouldn't be on the street in the first place."

Officers responded to the scene around 12:10 a.m., minutes after La'neria's mother called 911. Shenedra Ross applied pressure to her youngest daughter's wound and cradled her in the hallway until paramedics rushed her to HCMC.

"I'm just blessed that my baby is still here," she said from La'neria's hospital room, noting how lucky they are that the bullet didn't penetrate her skull or cause lasting damage.

But relatives soon discovered social media videos of the alleged suspect — a man known to the family and someone they once lived with — posted around the time of the shooting. She said she immediately forwarded that evidence to detectives.

A recording of a Snapchat video, obtained by the Star Tribune, shows the suspect taking swigs from a tequila bottle while rattling off a string of profanities. At one point, the camera pans to the inside of a vehicle, where a long gun is resting on the driver's seat.

Ross doesn't believe the incident was targeted, as the suspect likely didn't know they had returned to Minnesota from Texas two months ago. Yet, the realization that the act was not committed by a stranger compounded their trauma, she said.

"Where's the apology?" Ross wondered. "I want to face him [in court]."

Ross, a native North Sider, said the shooting left her children — especially La'neria's older sister who bore witness to the attack — traumatized and in shock. She set up an online fundraiser to help cover moving expenses for the family.

"I don't want to be there anymore. … I don't feel safe," said Ross, who was herself a victim of gun violence in 2021 when an assailant fired into a Marathon station while she was pumping gas. A bullet remains lodged in her hip, she said.

The latest shooting makes her fear potential retaliation. And the girls don't want to sleep in the bedroom where it happened. They are staying in a hotel until permanent arrangements can be made.

La'neria turns 12 on Friday. She hopes to celebrate by going to the movies and arcade with her friends.

Her shooting was one of two over the weekend that left children injured. An errant bullet also struck a 10-year-old in the stomach in St. Paul on New Year's Eve, sending him to the hospital in critical but stable condition. He is also expected to survive.

Another shooting in St. Paul on New Year's day left one man dead, marking the city's first homicide of 2024.