Suspect Charged in Minneapolis Shooting That Killed 4

James Ortley was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree attempted murder, and one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

NTD Newsroom

Published: 5/2/2025, 11:40:36 PM EDT

Suspect Charged in Minneapolis Shooting That Killed 4 — Police work on the scene as a bystander is shook up by the homicide in front of 2107 Cedar Ave S in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

A suspect has been arrested in a shooting that took four people’s lives this week in the Native American community of Minneapolis.

James Duane Ortley, 34, was taken into custody on May 1 and has been charged with murder.

“This is a significant step forward in what has been an intense and fast-moving investigation into the most violent incident this year,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a May 1 press release.

After responding to a shooting on April 29, Minneapolis Police found the victims. Three were pronounced dead at the scene and two others suffered life-threatening injuries. One of the injured victims succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on May 1.

“This is a bittersweet day,” O’Hara said. “While this arrest represents meaningful progress toward justice, that progress is overshadowed by the heartbreaking loss of another life.”

The shooting took place in the 1500 block of East 25th Street shortly before midnight on Thursday this week.

Ortley was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree attempted murder, and one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors plan to add a fourth second-degree murder charge for the fourth death.

James Ortley. (Courtesy of Hennepin County Jail) — James Ortley. Courtesy of Hennepin County Jail

“This was a shocking spree of violence that tore at the fabric of our community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a May 2 statement. “Families have lost loved ones, and our neighbors will carry the scars of this violence, emotionally and physically, for the rest of their lives."

The deceased include Evan Ramon Denny, 27, Derrick Lamont Ewing, 51, Joseph Douglas Goodwin, 17, Tiago Antonio Gilbert, 34, and 20-year-old Merelle Joan White.

The U.S. Marshals North Star Fugitive Task Force and an FBI SWAT team assisted local authorities in apprehending Ortley at about 3:30 p.m. after executing an arrest warrant.

“I’m deeply grateful to all of our law enforcement partners who responded with urgency and continue working alongside us to hold others accountable for the serious crimes our community has endured,” O’Hara added.

Hennepin County Jail records show that Ortley, whose bond is set at $2 million, is due in court on May 5 at 1:30pm. He was brought to the county jail at 6:55pm on May 1.

O’Hara further told reporters two days prior during a news conference that the victims were Native American and that the indigenous community in the Phillips neighborhood south of downtown was shaken by the massacre.

He stopped short of discussing a motive.

"The community’s saying something’s going on here," O'Hara added. "We have to follow the evidence. I cannot speculate. You can make your own assumptions based off the facts.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.