2 plead guilty to arson of Target headquarters in Minneapolis

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 24-year-old Shador Tommie Cortez Jackson and 34-year-old Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson Monday.

The charges relate to the attempted arson at the Target Corporation’s corporate headquarters at 1000 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

According to the defendants’ guilty pleas and documents filed with the court, on Aug. 26, Minneapolis experienced arson and looting. The unrest occurred after false rumors spread about a suicide on the Nicollet Mall.

3 men charged relating to arson at Target Headquarters in August

Jackson, Williams and co-defendant 31-year-old Victor Devon Edwards gathered outside the Target Corporation’s corporate building where dozens of other people had gathered according to the complaint. Jackson used a construction sign to break through one of the glass doors and a group breached the doors of the building. Jackson, aided and abetted by Edwards, set fire on the counter inside the mailroom and then attempted to light a second fire in the mailroom on top of cardboard boxes. The group then ran out of the building. Williams however re-entered the building and attempted to light another fire inside the building entrance before eventually leaving the scene according to the complaint.

Jackson and Willaims are scheduled to be sentenced on May 4 and May 18.