Demonstrators outside the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct during Tuesday's protest for the death of Jamar Clark.
(AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
Authorities on Wednesday released the identities of four men suspected of being involved in the shooting of five protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration outside a police precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Joseph Backman, 27, Nathan Gustavsson, 21, Daniel Macey, 26, and Allen “Lance” Scarsella, 23, remain in custody as they await charges, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Minneapolis police and federal investigators are continuing to gather evidence against the group.
The men, who are white, are accused of opening fire Monday night on protesters who were demonstrating against the Nov. 15 police shooting of Jamar Clark, an unarmed black man.
The five people who were shot outside the 4th Precinct suffered non-life-threatening injuries, although one of them required surgery for a stomach wound, an activist said at a news conference Tuesday.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman is expected to announce the charges related to the 4th Precinct shooting on Monday.
Meanwhile, the motivation for the shooting remains unclear. But a review of Scarsella's social media presence revealed a fascination for guns.
Nathan Scarsella.
Via facebook.com
His Facebook cover photo shows a waving Bonnie Blue flag, the confederacy’s unofficial flag at the beginning of the Civil War. The caption reads, “This isn’t the somalian flag, (by the way).”
Via facebook.com
Many of the 23-year-old’s photos show him posing with guns.
Via facebook.com
A few pictures show Scarsella at the gun range, including one where he has a small cut on his nose with a caption, “You can never have enough eye relief with a .338.”
Via facebook.com
Among his “likes” are several pro-gun groups including the OAF Nation military veterans militia group.
His interest in guns also led to a brief interaction with police in January. St. Paul police responded to his apartment after they received reports that shots had been fired, according to police records.
Officers found rounds had gone through the ceiling of his bedroom. Scarsella told police he accidentally pulled the trigger on his handgun while cleaning it. No one was injured and Scarsella was not arrested.
Social media profiles for Gustavsson, Backman, and Macey could not immediately be verified.
Backman and Macey do not have a criminal record in Minnesota, according to a review of court records by BuzzFeed News.
Gustavsson has been previously charged with two separate misdemeanor offenses for underage drinking and speeding, according to court records.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1jkw3Il
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