Public's help sought in Calvin Horton homicide

The investigation and possible prosecution of a Lake Street pawn shop owner needs the assistance of the public, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Tuesday.

Calvin Horton Jr. died from a shotgun wound to his torso on the evening of May 27. He was shot in or very near Cadillac Pawn, 1538 East Lake Street At the time of the shooting, peaceful protests over the police killing of George Floyd had begun turning violent, with a night of looting, arson and gunfire.

The pawn shop owner, John Rieple, was arrested the night of the shooting and was held in the Hennepin County Jail for several days. He was released pending further investigation. So far, that investigation has only one witness who saw part of the incident. Investigators have not found any surveillance camera video showing the incident.

The scene was chaotic that night with many people in and around the pawn shop. Some of those people pelted police officers as they tried to render first aid to Mr. Horton and attacked them again after the ambulance left and they tried to investigate the crime scene. The officers retreated and investigators were unable to safely return to the crime scene until the next day.

“We need the help of anyone who was in or around Cadillac Pawn at the time of the shooting,” Freeman said. “We need to know what happened several minutes before the shooting and then the shooting itself.”

Anyone with information about the shooting of Mr. Horton should contact Crimestoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at www.crimestoppersmn.org.