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

RICHFIELD, MN — Two South Education Center students were arrested Tuesday night, hours after several students were shot and one was killed outside the school in Richfield, according to police.

Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne on Wednesday identified the two suspects as Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, and Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, who are both from Minneapolis. Both are enrolled at the South Education Center, Henthorne said during a news conference Wednesday.

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.

The two students who were shot were taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where one died later Tuesday.

Shot Teen Was Killed On His 2nd Day At Richfield School

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 Wednesday, Henthorne said.

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

Henthorne said the five South Education Center students knew each other and may have been arguing over a previous dispute just before the shooting.

Guns Drawn, Cops Went To Wrong Richfield School After Shooting

Valdez-Alvarez and Solis were arrested Tuesday night after police searched two locations in Minneapolis. Henthorne said police quickly identified them as suspects in Tuesday’s shooting based on evidence at the scene and information from community members.

Police searched five other locations Tuesday night, including an address in Crystal, Henthorne said. Guns that were found in Crystal and one of the Minneapolis locations are being processed to determine if either were used in Tuesday’s shooting outside the South Education Center, Henthorne said.

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

Valdez-Alvarez and Solis were being held without bail Wednesday at the Hennepin County jail. Henthorne said he expects both to be formally charged by Thursday afternoon.

Richfield police are “confident” Tuesday's shooting was an “isolated incident, and no lingering threats exist to our community,” Henthorne said.

Michael Paul, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office, said Wednesday that "shootings in and around our schools are a troubling reality in our country, and Minnesota is not immune."

“A young man lost his life yesterday, another’s fighting for his life, and countless others have lives that are changed forever based on the trauma and the fear evoked yesterday,” Paul said.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this article.