Federal jury finds man guilty of arson at Target Headquarters in downtown Minneapolis
Security camera footage shows two men who have been convicted of their roles in an arson of Target's downtown Minneapolis headquarters in August of 2020
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says a federal jury has convicted a man of one count of arson following the fire at Target Corporation’s Headquarters in downtown Minneapolis in Aug. of 2020.
According to Attorney Andrew Luger’s office, 36-year-old Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams was convicted after a three-day trial.
A sentencing hearing for Williams will be scheduled at a later time.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Williams, as well as Shador Tommie Cortez Jackson and Victor Devon Edwards, were also charged in connection to the arsons that happened at the building.
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According to allegations in the indictment, on Aug. 26, Minneapolis experienced arson, rioting and looting following the suicide of a suspect in a homicide. There were false rumors that the man’s death was due to a police shooting.
Jackson, Edwards and Williams went to Target headquarters where dozens of others had gathered.
Jackson used a construction sign to break through glass doors at the headquarters. The three suspects then entered the building along with dozens of others.
Once inside, Jackson set a fire on a counter inside the mailroom. Edwards later added a liquid accelerant to the fire. Jackson then attempted to light a second fire in the mailroom on top of cardboard boxes using a lighter and bottle of ignitable liquid.
The suspects, as well as others, ran out of the building using the same door.
Williams later returned to the building and attempted to light a fire inside the entrance before leaving the scene.
As reported in 2021, Williams and Jackson have already entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit arson.
Cortez was sentenced to serve 33 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release in June of 2021. Meanwhile, in Dec. 2021, Edwards was sentenced to a 100-month prison sentence for the arson.