2 Twin Cities men charged with illegal possession of firearms

Friday, United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced charges against two Twin Cities men for illegally possessing firearms.

According to a criminal complaint, 27-year-old Jarvae Josiah Somerville, from White Bear Lake, and 25-year-old Ronald Donte Finley, from Minneapolis, are each charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Both men made their initial court appearances on Friday in Minneapolis.

Court records show investigators with the Minneapolis Police Department determined that Somerville and Finley were suspects in a shooting that happened on May 19, 2020, in north Minneapolis. While police conducted surveillance on Somerville, officers witnessed Somerville and Finley at a restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Somerville was seen inside the establishment and Finley was outside near a vehicle the men were driving. When officers moved in to make an arrest, Finley ran from the vehicle but was arrested.

Inside the vehicle, officers found a semi-automatic pistol. Somerville also ran when police attempted to arrest him. He ran into a private bathroom inside the restaurant. Eventually, Somerville was arrested. In the bathroom, officers located a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine.

Later that day, according to the complaint, police conducted a search warrant at Somerville’s residence and found a box of .45 caliber ammunition and a gun cleaning kit. On July 9, investigators confirmed that Finley’s fingerprints were present on the magazine of the pistol found in the vehicle. Due to Somerville having prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and Finley having prior felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois, both are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.