MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Tahdreona Andrews, 26, is charged in the murder of her child’s father, 31-year-old Justin Harris, who was found shot to death in her north Minneapolis apartment Wednesday.

Tahdreona Andrews (credit: Hennepin Co. Jail)

Residents in the building, located on the 3900 block of Lyndale Avenue North, called 911 after hearing gunshots. Some of them entered the apartment and found Harris’s body. Investigators say he was shot at least three times.

Police arrested Andrews in Wisconsin Thursday. The Hennepin County Attorney’s office is working to obtain a warrant to retrieve her.

Andrews was charged Friday with second-degree murder. She could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 33-year-old St. Paul man has been charged in connection to a murder of a Roseville man in September 2017.

Perry Earl Williams III faces four charges in connection to his involvement in the homicide of 35-year-old Dondi Antwan Nalls.

According to police, on the late afternoon of Sept. 25, Roseville police officers responded to a shooting on the 1400 block of Terrace Drive. There, officers located Nalls lying on the ground in front of an apartment complex suffering from gunshot wounds.

Despite life-saving attempts, Nalls was pronounced dead at the scene.

After a two-year investigation, Williams was arrested in Oakdale on Oct. 31, 2019 in connection to the murder. His full charges include: Crime for gang benefit aiding and abetting first degree premeditated murder, Aiding and abetting first degree premeditated murder, Crime for gang benefit aiding and abetting second degree intentional murder and Aiding and abetting second degree intentional murder.

Anyone with additional information related to this case is asked to call the Roseville Police Department at 651-792-7008.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — One person is dead and another is wounded from a shooting in the 1100 block of Hazelwood Street in St. Paul Saturday night, St. Paul police said. The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m.

A man was found unresponsive in the parking lot upon police arrival. The second victim, also a man, was inside a car at the intersection of Fellows Lane and Hazelwood Street.

Both victims were taken to a hospital, where the first gunshot victim was pronounced dead. The second victim has “serious injuries” to his face and arm and remains at the hospital.

Police said it appears both victims were shot in the parking lot. One collapsed and the other attempted to drive away until he crashed.

Police do not believe this is a random shooting. Police say investigators are interviewing witnesses and canvassing the area for more information. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 651-291-1111.

This is the 27th official homicide in St. Paul in 2019, police said.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — Authorities say a 21-year-old Minneapolis man has died after he was shot early Sunday morning in Bloomington.

Bloomington police responded to the scene on the 8500 block of Penn Avenue South just after 2 a.m. When officers arrived, they observed several people exiting the home, while discovering two men with gunshot wounds still inside.

The men were transported to Fairview Southdale, where one later died. The other 21-year-old Eagan man was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Police say they are still in the early stages of the investigation and will release more details when they become available.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the Bloomington Police Department at 952-563-4900.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — One man is in serious but stable condition after being hit by an SUV at the intersection of 26th Street East and Cedar Avenue South in south Minneapolis Sunday night, police said. The collision occurred around 5:45 p.m.

The driver left the scene and was last seen traveling westbound on 26th Street East in a silver or gray SUV.

The victim, a pedestrian, was transported to the Hennepin Healthcare.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — As a rash of deadly shootings grips the city of St. Paul, the streets surrounding Central Baptist Church have remained relatively calm. But Pastor Joel Lawrence understands no neighborhood is immune.

“While we haven’t had a homicide, we certainly do have things going on in the neighborhood that could easily escalate to something like that,” he said.

Two weeks earlier it was a shooting near Allianz Field, right as a soccer game kicked off. Mayor Melvin Carter talked to reporters that night, including an emphatic plea to address the root causes of gun violence.

RELATED: Shooting Leaves 2 Hurt, 1 In Custody Near Allianz Field Sunday

“Everyone single one of us has a role in ensuring that our city is safe,” Mayor Carter said.

He said his plan was to bring people together soon to address the root causes of the crime plaguing his city. Pastor Lawrence saw the press conference, which was happening about three blocks away from his church. It’s why he contacted the mayor’s office to offer up his church as one of three locations to host public safety community meetings.

“Literally, lives are at stake in these conversations,” said Lawrence.

Central Baptist Church has programs that help people with addiction recovery, as well as transitioning from incarceration back into society.

“We have some things that we offer. We know there are other organizations that are offering things, so how can those be linked up in a way that will better serve the city?” questioned Lawrence. “I hope one of the things that really comes out of [the meeting on] Thursday is a better understanding of the map, of the terrain of what people are doing to help, and connecting those together.”

In the previous week, four people were fatally shot in the city. The most recent happened Saturday night in the 1100 block of Hazelwood Street. As officers try to find the people responsible for pulling the trigger, they’re also focused on getting illegal guns off the street before another person is victimized.

RELATED: 1 Dead, 1 Injured In Saturday Night St. Paul Shooting

“We’re trying to prevent that. We’re trying to get ahead of this cycle of violence,” said Sgt. Mike Ernster.

That mission has similarities to the one that will happen at Central Baptist.

“I think it’s incumbent upon all of us to be involved in the conversation,” said Lawrence.

The meeting at Central Baptist Church, located at 420 N. Roy St., is Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting is at Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Rice Recreation Center at 6:30 p.m. The last meeting is Saturday, Nov. 16 at Arlington Hills Community Center starting at 1:00 p.m.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The victim of a fatal shooting in Bloomington Sunday has been identified as 21-year-old Warsame Ahmed Hassan from Minneapolis.

Police say the incident began at a house party gone wrong. When officers arrived to the scene at 86th Street and Penn Avenue, they saw several people leaving the house and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds inside.

Authorities transported the men to a hospital, where Hassan later died. A 21-year-old Eagan man was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released.

WCCO spoke with the property owner of the residence, who said the resident living there was a new tenant who had moved in Oct. 1. Neighbors said the tenant had also held a party there the night before the shooting.

“And last night [there was a] night party again and I said, ‘Mm, what’s going on?'” neighbor Samon Chrouk said.

To more efficiently manage information about this specific case, Bloomington police have opened a separate phone line for tips. They can be reported at 952-563-4998.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The victim of an early morning shooting in St. Paul has been identified as 32-year-old David Lee of Oakdale.

The shooting happened just after 2 a.m. Friday on the 1300 block of Davern Street in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Lee and woman inside an SUV, both suffering from gunshot wounds.

Lee did not survive, while the woman was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg.

RELATED: Man Dead, Woman Injured After Overnight Shooting In St. Paul

Police do not believe the shooting was random, although the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear.

So far, no arrests have been made. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 651-266-5650.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Police have identified Anthony Martin, 25, as the victim of a fatal shooting that occurred in a St. Paul parking lot Saturday evening.

At around 5:30 p.m., police say Martin and another man were shot in a parking lot on the on the 1100 block of Hazelwood Street. Officers found Martin unresponsive upon their arrival, and he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The other man, who has not been identified, was also taken to the hospital and treated for “serious injuries” to his face and arm.

RELATED: 1 Dead, 1 Injured In Saturday Night St. Paul Shooting

Police do not believe this is a random shooting. They say investigators are interviewing witnesses and canvassing the area for more information. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 651-291-1111.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 23-year-old man has been charged in the Nov. 1 North Branch auto crash that killed 63-year-old Joffre Kolosky. Samuel Dakota Moreno, from Marine On Saint Croix, has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, a DWI, and driving after license revocation.

Around 8 a.m. Friday, Moreno’s Toyota pickup rear-ended Kolosky’s Buick on northbound I-35 at Highway 95. Moreno was speeding on the interstate when he struck Kolosky, from Moose Lake, forcing his sedan to drive off the road and roll over.

Moreno wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was not hurt.The criminal complaint states Moreno was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash before leaving the scene. He was found at a rest area north of the crash, lying on the bathroom floor.

RELATED: State Patrol: Joffre Kolosky Killed On I-35 In North Branch After Rear-Ended By Suspected Drunk Driver

At the time of his arrest, Moreno refused to comply with officers and yelled at them, the criminal complaint states. Officers also found suspected marijuana in his vehicle.

The criminal complaint states Moreno pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in July 2016 in Polk County, Wisconsin. That’s when his driving privileges were revoked.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) —  Officials in Cottage Grove say a man is dead after a series of crimes that include sexual assault, stealing vehicles and invading a home Monday morning.

According to Maplewood police, the incident started around 8 a.m. when a man with a gun confronted a woman who was walking into her workplace in Maplewood. Police say he forced the victim into her car and told her to drive 6 miles to her home in St. Paul. That’s where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.

Police say he then stole her vehicle and drove to Cottage Grove’s Hidden Valley neighborhood. At around 8:30 a.m., the suspect used a handgun to steal a second vehicle from a residence.

At around 9 a.m. the suspect entered a residence in the same neighborhood, with four family members inside, Cottage Grove Director of Public Safety Pete Koerner said.

WCCO’s Erin Hassanzadeh spoke with a woman who says it was her family that was in that house. She wasn’t at home at the time.

“A gunman came into our house, barged right in, and went into our living room where my mom was, pointed a gun at her face and said, ‘Do you have any guns in the house?’ What’s going on?” Ally Patterson explained. “They were screaming that there were no guns and nothing is here. He said he didn’t want to harm anybody, he wanted to kill himself and just needed space to think.”

Patterson says the suspect pointed his gun at her parents’ heads multiple times before moving into their garage. That’s when her family made their escape to the neighbor’s house.

Craig and Lisa Patterson | Credit: Patterson Family

“He eventually came out in my dad’s truck from the garage and crashed the truck into a tree in my neighbor’s yard,” Patterson said.

Officials say the suspect, armed, then fled on foot before he eventually encountered police from several agencies. According to Koerner, a Cottage Grove officer and an officer from a neighboring agency fired their service weapons, killing the man.

Authorities strongly believe residents are no longer in danger, and believe there was only one suspect.

The female victim in the initial incident, who was bound by the suspect, was able to get free and contact police.

The name of the suspect has not been released. The Minnesota BCA is investigating the shooting.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Rodney Donta Jackson, 28, has been found guilty of murder in a fatal south Minneapolis shooting that occurred last November. He was acquitted of a first-degree premeditated murder charge, which would have resulted in life in prison.

Rodney Donta Jackson (credit: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)

Mohamed Ali Abdi, an 18-year-old from Bloomington, died of a gunshot wound to the head in the shooting. The shooting occurred at the parking lot of the Speedway store on the 2400 block of Bloomington Avenue South. Jackson and others involved fled the scene.

RELATED: 1 Dead, Suspect Arrested In South Minneapolis Shooting

The county said Jackson and his girlfriend pulled up to a pump on Nov. 6, 2018 when Jackson’s Chevrolet SUV was trapped between two vehicles. When the car behind the SUV moved, Jackson drove to a spot across the street as his girlfriend threw items at his SUV.

Jackson then fired a single shot from his vehicle, killing Abdi.

RELATED: 18-Year-Old Killed In South Minneapolis Shooting ID’d

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he was pleased with the jury’s verdict and will argue “strongly” for a long sentence.

“Mr. Jackson put up a bogus self-defense justification and the jury saw through that,” Freeman said.

Jackson’s trial, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, lasted two weeks with jury deliberations lasting eight hours. Jackson will be sentenced Dec. 13.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa health coach accused of defrauding more than 100 people out of millions of dollars by getting them to invest in a gym and fitness program has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison and must pay more than $8 million in restitution to his victims.

A judge sentenced Mark Alan Blankespoor of Pella on Friday. He had pleaded guilty to wire fraud in June.

U.S. Attorney Marc Krickbaum says Blankespoor must repay $8.4 million to over 100 victims.

Court documents says Blankespoor was a health coach and consultant in Pella and convinced others he was developing medically-oriented gyms and was licensing the program to fitness clinics across the country.

Over four years he convinced investors to hand over millions of dollars which he used for personal expenses and to pay other investors.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A swastika and “other offensive graffiti” was removed from Concord Elementary School over the weekend, Edina Public School officials said in a statement to families. A coat of fresh paint now covers the graffiti on the playground shed, a post in a Facebook group affiliated with the area said.

Superintendent John Shultz said the graffiti was quickly removed and Edina police apprehended the suspect. The suspect is not believed to have a direct connection to Concord Elementary School, located at 5900 Concord Ave.

Shultz said such actions are not tolerated in the schools.

“The future-readiness of our students depends on their ability to work collaboratively with others from vast numbers of cultures, religions and backgrounds,” Shultz said in the statement sent to families.

The school says it partnered with the Jewish Community Resource Council for guidance through the incident.

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (WCCO) — Monday morning for Lisa Patterson and her family went from typical to terrifying and unforgettable when she went to see why there was a loud sound at her front door.

“I didn’t even get to the corner and I immediately saw that it was this person, and he was coming towards me with the gun drawn on me,” she said.

Patterson had no idea this armed stranger is who, police say, hours earlier abducted a woman at gunpoint in a Maplewood parking lot, forced her to drive to her home in St. Paul, and sexually assaulted her.

After using the victim’s car to get away, then carjacking another vehicle, the man ended up in Patterson’s quiet neighborhood, and then her home on Hidden Valley Court.

RELATED: Armed Suspect Killed By Police In Cottage Grove After Sexual Assault, Stealing Vehicles & Home Invasion

Patterson, in her bathrobe, had just been working in her living room. Her husband was awake upstairs and two of her daughters, ages 18 and 22, were still upstairs asleep when the man entered the home. She said he kept asking if there were guns in the house, to which she replied “no.”

“I said, ‘I’m really afraid for my children upstairs and he said ‘It’s okay. I’m a dad, too.’ And he said, ‘It’s okay… I really think I’m gonna die here today,'” Patterson said. “I think I trusted him in that moment that he wasn’t going to hurt me.”

Patterson was calm as she retold the story, and said she was just as calm during the short time the man was in the home.

“That moment when the gun’s in your face, a million things run through your mind,” she said. “The only thing that came to me was just, I said, ‘What can I do to help you?’”

Patterson said her husband was eventually allowed to come downstairs. As officers surrounded the home, she said the man promised not to hurt them and needed a place to think. Patterson and her husband suggested their garage.

“[The gunman] went right to the garage and as soon as my husband heard that door shut, [my husband] ran back upstairs, told the girls, ‘There’s a gunman in the house. Let’s go right now.’ The three of them just immediately went right down the stairs and all four of us went out the front door,” said Patterson, who added that was the moment she was most scared, fearing the man would hear them escaping and come out of the garage.

Once in the safety of a neighbor’s home, Patterson was unaware of what happened next.

Police said the man stole the Patterson’s truck out of the garage, drove through yards, and eventually crashed. He was shot and died during an encounter with police. Patterson learned of his death later, as well as the alleged sexual assault.

“I was just that much more thankful that we were really lucky that nothing worse happened,” she said.

The Minnesota BCA has taken over the investigation.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — A new mail scam is targeting seniors across Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

The department says Minnesotans are receiving letters in the mail that mimic the branding of Publishers Clearing House. The letters falsely claim that the receivers have won the “100 Million Dollars Super Cash Giveaway Promotion.”

The letter includes a check for $6,000, and winners are told not to discuss their win with any third parties.

Next they are told to contact the “claims manager” to receive more information about receiving their price.

When the “claims manager” is called, a scammer answers the phone and says: “Publishers Clearing House, how may I help you?”

Callers are told to cash the check and wire money to process their winnings. However, the check bounces, and the recipients loses the money they wired, in addition to any returned check charges.

The Commerce Department says that it hasn’t received reports of people who fell for the scam in Minnesota, but that they are aware of victims in other states who have lost substantial amounts of money.

They believe more victims of the scam have not reported their loss to the department.

If you believe you have been targeted by a scam, you’re asked to email consumer.protection@state.mn.us or call 800-657-3602. Your confidentiality will be maintained.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The family of Terrence “Terry” Brisk is renewing their call for answers in the investigation of the hunter’s mysterious murder near Little Falls.

“If they would just come forward, I’d sure appreciate it. If someone would come forward, and if they know something, please let us know, because it would help so much,” the mother of Terrence, Frances Brisk, told media. “It would help not only our immediate family, but our grandchildren too. They wonder what happened to their dad.”

Brisk, 41, was shot and killed by someone while he was out deer hunting on his family’s private property in Belle Prairie Township on Nov. 7, 2016.

“Every day I wake up and I think about him and what happened to him,” Frances Brisk said. “I know right now he’s in a better place, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore. But I’d sure like to know who did it, if they would just come forward and tell us what happened.”

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office ruled out the possibility of an accidental shooting, saying that it was “definitely a homicide.”

“The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office isn’t going to give up on this case,” Morrison Co. Sheriff Shawn Larsen told media. “We’re going to continue to pursue this until we have the answers, that we can move on, and give to the family, and give to this community, they deserve that.”

In 2017 law enforcement recovered Brisk’s missing rifle and announced that it was the firearm that was used to kill him.

The sheriff office says they haven’t received many tips in the case, although a reward up to $30,000 was offered in 2017.