BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – From surveillance video, social media reports and witness accounts, police have reconstructed the fatal shooting on Johntae Hudson last week in public space at the Mall of America. The reconstruction became available in court documents accompanying murder and riot charges against four teenagers. The reconstruction:
> A teenager confronted a friend of Hudson at the mall and followed the friend and the friend’s mother out of the mall.
> The friend returned to the mall and joined Hudson and a second friend near the first floor up-escalator outside the Nordstrom department store.
> Hudson walking with these friends and attempting to get on the escalator.
> A group of youths. two of them brandishing handguns with extended magazines, engaged in argument with Hudson.
> Hudson attempted to leave the encounter, but two teens in the other group blocked him.
> Lavon Longstreet pointed a gun toward Hudson and fired. With Longstreet was TaeShawn Adams-Wright, 18, in a firing stance. In all, eight to 10 shots were fired.
> The shooters and others scattered.
> A mother and daughter shopping nearby dived to the ground for cover. The mother took one or two shots — one in her coat A bullet perhaps the same one, grazed a buttock. The injuries were superficial.
> A nearby police officer tried to revive Hudson but failed.
> A .40-caliber firearm was found near Hudson’s body.
> The medical examiner blamed Hudson’s death on multiple gunshot wounds. Two of the bullets were discharged near the victim’s body, the examiner said. The examiner also reported three graze wounds.
> Some individuals in the assailant group gathered at a White Castle burger shop nearby the mall, then left apparently for a St,. Louis Park house, 10 miles away, where they were arrested by a SWAT team the next morning
The root of antagonism remained unclear even a week after charges were filed. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges blamed “some type of longstanding feud.”