Maplewood man arrested, charged in fatal June shooting of Coon Rapids woman

Josh Skluzacek

James Jones Fields[Ramsey County]

A Maplewood man has been arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of a Coon Rapids woman in June.

Nia Black, 23, was shot and killed in St. Paul on June 13 outside Lamplighter Lounge.

Tuesday, St. Paul Police said 35-year-old James Jones Fields was arrested Monday and is in custody at the Ramsey County Jail.

According to court records, Fields was charged Tuesday with two counts of second-degree murder.

His first appearance is set for Wednesday morning.

According to a criminal complaint, Black and three friends went to the Lamplighter Lounge on the night of June 13 but weren’t allowed in because the bar was already at capacity. While in the parking lot, the complaint states Black and another woman got into a fight, which turned into a brawl with people in the bar spilling to the parking lot.

Eventually, Black and her friends were able to get out of the situation, got in the Ford Escape they arrived in and started heading west through the lot to get away from the altercation. As the Escape turned right on to Albemarle Street, shots were fired and Black fell onto the driver’s shoulder, the complaint states.

The women in the Escape realized Black had been shot and sped away to find a hospital. A deputy stopped the vehicle and at that time pronounced Black dead.

The complaint states officers responded to Lamplighter Lounge and found a chaotic scene with dozens of people in the parking lot and multiple vehicles leaving the exits. Broken glass was found on the street, a vehicle had window damage that appeared to be from a gunshot and an apartment had a balcony window shattered by a round of ammunition. Officers also found bullet casings scattered around the area.

Officers spoke to witnesses, reviewed video recorded in the lot at the time and looked at surveillance video to determine Fields was the shooter.

According to the complaint, a group of .40 caliber casings were found in the parking lot to the right of where Fields fired from in the parking lot. A witness told officers he heard 15 shots fired and said they were directed at the Escape.

The complaint also states Fields sold the Dodge Charger he had driven that night a short time later. After searching the vehicle and Fields’ apartment, officers found clothing that matched what video showed the shooter wearing.

Fields has four prior felony convictions, including one from an August 2014 incident where Fields shot a man and hit another in the parking lot of Lamplighter Lounge, the complaint states.

Family of gun violence victim urges community to join peace walk in St. Paul on Saturday

St. Paul Police identify victim of Saturday morning homicide