MN, Richfield Leaders Mourn Student’s Death In Shooting At School

MINNESOTA — Hours after a student was shot and killed Tuesday outside a school in Richfield, Gov. Tim Walz issued a statement to mourn another “young life … lost as the result of gunfire.”

“As a dad, I know that hearing of a shooting by a school is a parent’s greatest fear,” Walz said. “Minnesotans deserve to know that when they send their kids to school, they will come home safely.”

Two students were shot just after noon Tuesday on a sidewalk outside the front entrance of the South Education Center in Richfield. Both were taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where one later died.

The Star Tribune identified the victim as 15-year-old Jahmari Rice, who was attending his second day at the school when he was shot Tuesday. Rice transferred to the South Education Center from Richfield High School, the newspaper reported.

The other student who was shot was in critical condition, police said Tuesday night.

A 19-year-old also suffered minor injuries, but they were treated and released at the school, police said.

Shooting At Richfield School ‘Not Random’; Police ID Suspects

Two people were arrested Tuesday night after police searched two locations in Minneapolis and found a handgun.

Police identified the suspects Wednesday as Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, and Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, who are both from Minneapolis.

Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne said Valdez-Alvarez and Solis got into an argument with three other students around noon Tuesday outside the front entrance of the school.

"During the altercation, a handgun was produced" and two students were shot, Henthorne said. He alleged Valdez-Alvarez and Solis then fled the area before police arrived.

A 19-year-old also suffered minor injuries during the altercation, but they were treated and released at the school, police said.

Gov. Tim Walz spent Wednesday morning at South Education Center in Richfield, a community that is "heartbroken."

"Richfield, your state grieves with you," Walz tweeted Wednesday. "We will work together to stop gun violence and prevent tragedies like this from happening."

Walz said Tuesday night that his “prayers are with the students, parents and teachers” whose expectation of safe schools was “shaken” by the shooting.

“We need more than words, though — we need action. We need action to get guns off the streets and prevent violent crime in the first place,” Walz said.

Guns Drawn, Cops Went To Wrong Richfield School After Shooting

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said Tuesday night that she was “devastated” by the shooting outside the South Education Center in Richfield and shared her condolences.

“I grieve with the parents, teachers and community members impacted, and with the kids who lost a member of their school community and were deeply shaken today,” Flanagan said in a statement. “Most of all, I grieve for the parents whose child is not coming home.”

Flanagan called the violence “unacceptable” and called on Minnesotans to “work together to prevent these tragedies from happening in the first place.”

“As a mom, my number one priority is my daughter’s safety,” Flanagan said. “As lieutenant governor, my priority is the safety of every child in Minnesota.”

Members of the Richfield City Council and Mayor Gonzalez also released a statement Tuesday, saying they are “heartbroken” that a student was killed and another is in critical condition after being shot Tuesday.

The city officials thanked “brave” school staff members, police and firefighters for responding to the shooting and offered their condolences to the victims’ families.

Officials said in the statement Tuesday that they were “still processing the tragic school shooting” in Richfield, which they said “has long been a close-knit, safe and welcoming community.”

“Everyone in our community deserves to feel safe in their schools and in their community, and today this safety was threatened,” Richfield officials said. “Please check-in on your neighbors, hug your children and be there for your friends and family.”

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this article.