MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury found a Minneapolis man guilty of attempting to set fire at the Target Corporation’s headquarters building in a 2020 downtown Minneapolis riot, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger late last week.
Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams, 36, was one of several people charged following incidents of arson, rioting, and looting after false rumors of a Minneapolis police-involved shooting were spread on social media on Aug. 26, 2020.
Video released within an hour of the incident by the Minneapolis Police Department in an attempt to quell the rumors showed that the subject of the shooting, who was a homicide suspect being tracked by police, actually shot himself [graphic video] in a suicide death on the 800 block of Nicollet Mall.
The MPD video release wasn’t enough to stop rioters who fed on anti-police narratives being spread on social media while the city was still a tinderbox following the death of George Floyd in police custody just two months earlier.
Surveillance image of Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams lighting fire at Target (U.S. Attorney)
According to evidence presented at trial, on the evening of Aug. 26, 2020, Minneapolis experienced arson, rioting, and looting following false rumors regarding a suicide death on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Surveillance video showed Williams joining the crowds rioting in downtown Minneapolis that night, first outside the Target store on Nicollet Mall, then looting a Speedway gas station a few blocks away and finally at the Target Corporation headquarters building in downtown Minneapolis.
Williams was amongst a crowd outside of the Target Corporation headquarters building during the break-in and looting of the building. Williams repeatedly attempted to light cardboard on fire using a lighter inside of the Target Headquarters building. Williams was interrupted in his attempts by an unidentified male who confronted Williams. Williams responded aggressively by shoving him, before ultimately leaving the Target headquarters.
Surveillance image of Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams lighting fire at Target (U.S. Attorney)
Court records show that Williams previously offered a guilty plea on the arson charge in January 2021, but later withdrew his plea which led to the jury trial.
Following a three-day trial before Judge Paul A. Magnuson, Williams was convicted on one count of arson. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
Williams’ co-defendants Victor Devon Edwards and Shador Tommie Cortez Jackson were previously sentenced to 100 months and 33 months, respectively, in federal prison for their roles in the Target arson.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, there is help available 24 hours a day. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at: 988.
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
This article was published at Alpha News and reprinted with permission.
