Prosecutors on Monday afternoon announced charges against four men in last week’s shooting of Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced the charges in a press conference. He said Allen “Lance” Scarsella, 23, was charged with one count of second-degree riot and five counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for shooting at the demonstrators.
Freeman added that Joseph Daniel Backman, 27, Nathan Wayne Gustavsson, 21, and Daniel Thomas Macey, 26, were each charged with one count of second-degree riot.
Scarsella was being held on $500,000 bail while the other three men each were being held on $250,000 bail, Freeman said.
When a reporter asked whether prosecutors were considering hate crimes charges as well, Freeman said it would be “improper” for prosecutors to pursue more charges. He pointed out that the sentences for the crimes the four men were charged with were longer than those for any hate crime designation in Minnesota.
However, Freeman said the investigation was ongoing with the help of the FBI and added that hates crimes charges could still be brought at the federal level.
This post has been updated.
