Police identify suspect in Minneapolis bus shooting that left 1 dead, 1 critically injured

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Authorities have identified the man arrested in connection to a shooting that occurred on a bus near Target Center Thursday night. 

Minneapolis Police Department spokesman John Elder identified the man as 26-year-old Malcolm James Lessley. 

Lessley has been charged with one count of 2nd-degree murder and one count of attempted 2nd-degree murder.

Elder said officers responded to a report of a shooting around 9:28 p.m. near First Avenue and Ninth Street in downtown Minneapolis.

Police say Lessley boarded the bus in north Minneapolis and opened fire when the bus arrived at a downtown stop.

Charges: Shooter, 1 victim exchanged words on bus before 2 shot near Target Center

"We were [going] to get off the bus, and he just jumped up, spun around and started shooting at us," said a witness, who asked KSTP to not use her name. "There was too much going on, that it felt like everybody was going to die."

Lessley was later taken into custody a short distance away from the crime scene at Ninth Street and Nicollet Mall. Officers were able to recover the handgun while apprehending the suspect, Elder said.

One victim – identified only as a 51-year-old man – was killed, police said. A second victim is in critical condition but is expected to survive, according to police. No one else on the bus was hurt.

The shooting is under investigation. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 and reference case number 20-033730. Tips can also be submitted online.