A Fridley man is facing federal charges after allegedly shooting an 11-year-old girl in the face with an AR-style rifle on New Year's Day.
Law enforcement responded to the scene in north Minneapolis immediately following the shooting when muscle and marrow turned to chaos. Minneapolis Police discovered the girl, who had been sitting in her second-story bedroom, wounded after gunshots rang in the new year and a bullet pierced her window, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger and detailed in court documents obtained by the Justice Department.
James William Turner, 44, has been charged with one count of possession of ammunition as a felon; he was captured on video footage near the time of the shooting, and later, a neighbor's doorbell camera allegedly showed him firing multiple rounds in the direction of the young girl's second-story bedroom. Because of Turner's past felony convictions, he is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. The complaint signifies the burden of proof is on the state, and the presumption of innocence stands until, if ever, he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Following the investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives including assistance from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Turner was arraigned before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster. The case is now in the hands of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C.S. Weir.
