Fridley shooting: Man charged in fender-bender turned drive-by shooting

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A Columbia Heights man faces multiple charges after a fender-bender sparked a drive-by shooting that left a 5-year-old searching for help from bystanders. (FOX 9)

FRIDLEY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Columbia Heights man faces multiple charges after a fender-bender sparked a drive-by shooting that left a 5-year-old searching for help from bystanders after their victim lost control of their vehicle and crashed.

Fridley shooting charges

What we know:

Cordaryle Frank-Allen Frost, 38, of Columbia Heights is charged with first-degree aiding and abetting assault and a drive-by shooting as part of the events that occurred on May 9.

According to charges filed in Anoka County, just after 9 p.m., law enforcement was dispatched to the area of 53rd Ave NE and University Ave NE in Fridley on a report of a woman that had been shot in a vehicle, and a 5-year-old child running around asking for help for her mother.

Upon arrival, officers located a Chevrolet Tahoe sitting in the grass off the roadway near University Ave NE and I-694, and made contact with a victim who had been shot in the neck, who was then transported to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.

As authorities gathered information, they learned a potential suspect, later identified as Frost, lived next to the victim’s friend and an altercation may have occurred prior to any shooting.

Dig deeper:

According to charges, police were able to interview the victim at the hospital in the days that followed the shooting, learning that she had been at a prom send-off party in Columbia Heights at a friend’s house.

When leaving the party, she told investigators that she was roughly one block away when Frost's vehicle pulled up beside her, and him and a passenger began yelling to pullover – describing the incident as something like a "pit maneuver" as she was driving.

Once pulled over, the victim said that both Frost and another female got out of their vehicle, saying she would "beat her a**" in the process.

As the victim attempted to get away, the two pulled alongside them yet again – at which point the victim recalled suddenly hearing a shot, then being unable to move her arms or legs, or lift her head, and losing control of the vehicle.

Once the vehicle came to a stop, the victim’s 5-year-old attempted to get help from those around, charges state.

Fridley shooting investigation

Timeline:

Through a follow-up investigation, a surveillance video of a neighboring business from the location of the party was obtained, showing that as the victim left they put their child in their backseat, then backed up their vehicle, which appeared to make contact with Frost’s Chevrolet Blazer.

Frost and an accompanying woman then get into their vehicle, and take off at a "high rate of speed."

When speaking with police, Frost "acknowledged having had a confrontation" with the victim, but denied any involvement in the shooting before requesting an attorney.

In a separate statement, the passenger involved in the altercation implicated Frost as the shooter, but "assumed the victim was OK" after her vehicle continued to roll away.

Big picture view:

Charges state that Frost has two prior convictions for being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm, and remains in custody currently.

What's next:

Authorities say the victim endured a spinal cord injury that required surgery to remove bullet fragments from her neck. The extent of permanent injury remains unclear at the moment.

According to charges, a 37-year-old woman was also taken into custody in the Anoka County Jail, but no charges have been filed yet.