Gunfire at homeless camp in south Minneapolis claims third life

A shooting amid a brutal string of violence at homeless encampments in Minneapolis has claimed a third life, officials said Monday.

Samantha Jo Moss, 35, of St. Louis Park was shot multiple times on Oct. 27 at the encampment in the 4400 block of Snelling Avenue near the railroad tracks and Hiawatha Avenue, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

At the scene, officers found two men who had been fatally shot. They were later identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office as Christopher Martell Washington, 38, of Fridley and Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr., 32, of Brooklyn Center.

Police say the suspect is Earl Bennett of Minneapolis shot and wounded during a confrontation with police in St. Paul a day after the triple homicide. Charges for that shooting are pending.

The Ramsey County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Bennett with illegal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault following his clash with St. Paul police. According to the criminal complaint, Bennett “told police to shoot him” and that the 9-millimeter handgun he was holding was not loaded.

Bennett is also charged in Hennepin County District Court with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting at a sober house in the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue S. in Minneapolis. That shooting happened about 2.5 hours before he was shot by St. Paul police. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

The shooting on Snelling Avenue was the second that weekend at a South Side homeless encampment. One man died and two were seriously injured on October 26 at an encampment near E. 21st Street and 15th Avenue S. The deceased man was identified as Deven Leonard Caston, 31, no known address. No arrests have been announced in that case.

The city has seen several shootings in and around homeless encampments this year. Mayor Jacob Frey attended a news conference the day of the Snelling Avenue shooting and said the city must continue to provide options for people seeking shelter. But, he said, encampments are not an alternative answer.