Fridley Felon Charged in Federal Court After Shooting 11-Year-Old on New Year’s Day

MINNEAPOLIS — A Fridley man has been charged federally with possession of ammunition as a felon after firing multiple shots from an AR-style rifle, one of which struck an 11-year-old girl in the face, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, just after midnight on Jan. 1, officers of the Minneapolis Police Department received a report of a shooting at a residence in north Minneapolis. When officers arrived at the scene a woman told them that shots had been fired outside the residence and a round had struck the woman’s 11-year-old daughter in the face. The victim said she was sitting in her second-story bedroom when she heard gunshots outside the residence at approximately midnight. She went to her window to observe when a round came through the window and hit her in the face.

According to court documents, officers obtained a Snapchat video of James William Turner, 44, that was filmed just prior to the shooting. The two-minute video showed Turner outside, near the victim’s residence, arguing with an unknown individual before the camera turned to show an AR-style rifle lying across the driver’s seat of a vehicle. A neighbor provided officers with a doorbell surveillance video that showed Turner fire multiple rounds in the direction of the victim’s bedroom window. Officers found eight live cartridges and 24 discharged cartridge casings throughout the boulevard, sidewalk and yard.

Because Turner has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

The complaint charges Turner with one count of possession of ammunition as a felon. Turner made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department, with assistance from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C.S. Weir is prosecuting the case.

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