Man charged in shootings near Minneapolis homeless encampments

MINNEAPOLIS — A man has been charged in connection with shootings near homeless encampments in Minneapolis that killed one man and wounded another.

Anthony Jones, 36, was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder, the Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Friday.

Jones is also being investigated for another killing that occurred Wednesday, the same day as the other shootings, the news release said.

Jones is jailed and did not have an attorney assigned Saturday.

Police used surveillance video to identify Jones as the person who fatally shot a man at close range. Further investigation linked him to other “targeted” shootings in the same area of ​​south Minneapolis, the news release said.

Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty said the shooting “does not appear to have targeted the broader homeless community,” but called the attacks “horrific.”

“Everyone deserves to feel safe, whether they are housed or not, and our office will ensure that is the case,” Moriarty said in the press release.