Teenager will stand trial for murder and robberies

A Coon Rapids teenager has been certified to stand trial as an adult on two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man sitting in his car, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Thursday. Prosecutors are seeking $1.5M in bail.

Jered Ohsman, 17, also was ordered to stand trial as an adult on two counts of first-degree robbery. A Hennepin County District Court Juvenile judge, after seven days of hearings, ruled Tuesday that Ohsman should stand trial as an adult on the robbery charges and for second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree murder while committing another felony. Ohsman was 16 when he allegedly committed those three crimes in early June as part of a four-day crime spree. He will make his first court appearance today at 1:30 p.m.

According to the criminal complaint for the two second-degree murder charges, on June 11 at 4:50 p.m., 39-year-old Steven Markey of Maple Grove was shot at the intersection of 14th Ave. NE and Tyler St. NE in Minneapolis. Following a Minneapolis Police investigation with multiple witnesses, surveillance footage and crime scene forensics, it was found that Ohsman and a 15-year-old accomplice, planned to steal the victim’s parked car and rob him as well.

Armed with guns and wearing bandanas over their faces, both youths approached Markey’s car. During the incident, both Oshman and his accomplice fired their guns. The victim was shot three times: once in the wrist, left bicep and left shoulder area. He attempted to drive away but crashed his vehicle into a nearby building a block from the shooting. He later died from the gunshot wounds at HCMC, the complaint states.

Following the shooting, the youths ran through alleyways behind buildings on Tyler Street. Surveillance footage showed the duo changing clothes and hiding a backpack that police found contained the weapons used during the shooting, the complaint continues.

After officers determined that Ohsman was a suspect in the shooting, they discovered that he and the co-respondent were arrested together 12 hours later for suspicion of auto theft and burglary. Case details describe Ohsman and the 15-year-old assaulting a victim in downtown Minneapolis and stealing a car in St. Louis Park later that night. That car was then used to commit a burglary in New Hope. Ohsman and the co-respondent were eventually apprehended by police in New Hope after Oshman crashed the stolen vehicle when attempting to flee officers, the complaint states.

In the other two robberies for which Ohsman was certified as an adult, they both occurred on June 9. One was at 3:40 in the morning near 31st Street and Emerson Avenue South when the two youths again walked up to a woman getting into her car, pointed a gun, demanded the keys and drove off in her car. The second one occurred at 5 a.m., when the pair walked up to a man near Eighth Avenue and Fourth Street Southeast, put a gun to his head and stole his keys, phone and anything else in his pockets. They took the items and drove away in the man’s car.

The hearings on whether the 15-year-old should be certified as an adult are continuing.

Murder Criminal Complaint (PDF)

Robbery Criminal Complaint (PDF)

Second Robbery Criminal Complaint (PDF)