6 arrested following funeral of Mall of America shooting victim

6 men were arrested following the funeral of Johntae Hudson — the victim of the fatal Dec. 23 shooting at Mall of America — on Friday, St. Paul police said. One of the men was later released, according to police.

Another man that attended the funeral, who is wanted in connection with a separate non-fatal shooting on Dec. 14 in St. Paul, is still wanted, according to police.

St. Paul police were present outside the church and cemetery services for Hudson’s funeral to ensure the environment was safe and secure for everybody present. During the services, officers saw a man in possession of a handgun as well as the wanted shooting suspect.

The two men were seen leaving the cemetery and getting into an SUV with five other men. The SUV pulled into a gas station off of Dale Street N and Larpenteur Avenue W. Officers tried to stop the vehicle to arrest the two men.

A man jumped out of the vehicle to flee and was quickly arrested by officers. He was issued a misdemeanor citation and released, according to police.

The two wanted men stayed in the SUV as it sped off. A pursuit was authorized due to the fact that one of the men was a shooting suspect and another was seen with a handgun.

Officers eventually lost the vehicle during the pursuit but eventually found it unoccupied off of 11th Avenue SE and University Avenue SE in Minneapolis.

With assistance from Minneapolis police, University of Minnesota police, Minnesota State Patrol and deputies from Hennepin and Ramsey counties, four 19-year-olds and an 18-year-old were arrested.

The 18-year-old was identified as the man at the funeral who had the handgun. The gun and the clothes he wore to the funeral were found in a bag nearby.

A second handgun and an AR pistol were also recovered during the arrests.

The five men were booked into Ramsey County Jail. As of Saturday afternoon, they have not been charged.

The shooting suspect was not found by police.