Minneapolis neighborhood still under tension despite murder accusations

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis residents say they don’t feel much safer despite new charges following a shooting in the Phillips neighborhood earlier this month.

New fees

The Hennepin County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday announced new murder charges against Joshua Anthony Jones after authorities said he was behind three separate shootings on Sept. 18 that resulted in the deaths of two people .

“It’s terrifying,” said Christin Crabtree, who advocates for unhoused residents living in the Phillips neighborhood. “The community, in every way, is demanding more well-being and safety.”

Crabtree said people living in the encampment near where the shootings took place have experienced increased fear as well as instability as a result, as she says evictions have increased since the killings.

“There are no safe places for these people to go,” Crabtree said. “We don’t have enough housing or adequate shelter.

Doug Latterell lives near where the first shooting happened and said he’s encouraged by the arrest and charges, but he doesn’t think it makes the neighborhood safer, saying the encampments attract crime.

“They just go down the block or turn the corner,” he said. “The problem hasn’t gone away.”

Not targeted

Jones now faces two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder and three counts of illegal possession of a firearm.

Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty said Jones was not a resident of the encampment, but advocates say at least one of the deceased was.

“I know that right now people living in encampments must feel under attack,” she said. “I want to be clear…it does not appear that Mr. Jones was targeting the unhoused community.”