ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul teenager is accused of opening fire on three minors after an online dispute — then bragging about it on a group phone call.
St. Paul shooting injures 2 juveniles
What we know:
Jerry D'John Anthony Sanders, 18, has been charged with three felonies of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the Sept. 1 incident.
According to the charges, St. Paul police were called at about 2 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 1, to 315 Aurora Ave. after two juveniles were shot. Their injuries were not life-threatening. Officers found four discharged cartridge casings on the sidewalk at the southeast corner of Marion Street and Sherburne Avenue. Later analysis connected those casings to the same gun linked to multiple shootings in Minneapolis.
The complaint states one of the victims, a 13-year-old boy, was found with a towel wrapped around a gunshot wound to his lower left leg. Officers applied a tourniquet, and medics transported him to Regions Hospital. At the hospital, an officer overheard the victim tell a relative that he had been "trolling" someone online and that person came out and shot him.
The complaint states a second victim, a 13-year-old girl, had a gunshot graze to her left calf. She was evaluated by medics but not taken to the hospital.
A third juvenile was with the two others when the shooting happened. The witness told investigators the group had left 315 Aurora Ave. on foot to go to the McDonald's at Marion Street and University Avenue. After being turned away from the drive-thru because they weren't in a vehicle, they decided to walk to their grandmother's apartment building at 175 Charles Ave.
The complaint states they walked northbound on Marion Street between University and Sherburne Avenues, one of them received a FaceTime call from the suspect. The call ended abruptly, and a juvenile heard about five gunshots coming from the area of 175 Charles Ave. The group ran south on Marion Street toward University Avenue, and two of the juveniles were struck. All three ran back to 315 Aurora Ave. and waited for police.
How investigators identified Sanders
Local perspective:
The complaint states one of the juveniles told investigators the shooter's nickname is "Fat J" and that his name was possibly "Jerry Walker." The juvenile also provided the apartment number where "Fat J" lives with his grandmother at 175 Charles Ave. and gave investigators a phone number for the suspect. The juvenile said he and "Fat J" had an ongoing dispute, with both sides making disrespectful comments about each other's deceased relatives, and he believes that dispute may have contributed to the motive for the shooting.
The juvenile also provided the apartment number at 175 Charles Ave. and gave investigators an Instagram page with the profile name "therealfatdrench." Investigators found a Facebook page with the same photos. By comparing the social media photos to a state driver's vehicle services photo, officers identified the person as Jerry D'John Anthony Sanders, born Nov. 16, 2007.
What they're saying:
The complaint states shortly after the shooting, a concerned citizen was part of a group phone call with Sanders. On that call, Sanders made statements including:
"I just blew your homie down," he said. "I came out with 31 came back in with 21 – I blew 11 shots at they bitch a-- ."
"I just heard them calling – I put my phone in the grass, started running, chased them for a block, then started shooting," said Sanders.
Tracking Sanders
Dig deeper:
The complaint states investigators executed a search warrant at Sanders's grandmother's apartment at 175 Charles Ave., but Sanders was no longer there. An adult female at the apartment said Sanders had been there from noon on Aug. 31 until 7 a.m. on Sept. 1, and that she believed he had gone to his sister's house in Minneapolis.
A concerned citizen later told investigators about another FaceTime group call with Sanders, during which Sanders appeared to be on a Metro Transit bus and lifted his clothes to show a handgun with an extended magazine in his waistband. Investigators determined he appeared to be in downtown Minneapolis at the time.
The complaint states tracking warrants for Sanders's Facebook and Instagram accounts showed him logging in and sending messages from an apartment at 850 Rice St. in St. Paul. Cell phone location data also placed Sanders in the area of Marion Street and Charles Avenue at the time of the shooting, and showed he went to 850 Rice St. afterward.
Officers executed a search warrant at 850 Rice St. on Sept. 3 and arrested Sanders. Two firearms were recovered. A Smith and Wesson MP9 handgun — reported stolen from New Brighton — was found between a mattress and box spring. A P80 ghost gun with a 31-round extended magazine was recovered from inside a clothes dryer. The 31-round capacity matched Sanders's statements on the group phone call after the shooting. The ghost gun is believed to be the one used in the shooting, matching the description provided by the concerned citizen and the firearm seen in Sanders's social media videos and apartment surveillance footage.
What we don't know:
Sanders declined to make a statement to investigators. He faces three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, each carrying a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, a $14,000 fine or both. He is being held under an order of detention.
The Source: This story is based on a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court.