Two men charged in fatal shooting outside school in Richfield

Two men have been charged for fatally shooting one student, and severely injuring another, outside the South Education Center in Richfield, Minnesota, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, of Minneapolis, and 18-year-old Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, of, Minneapolis, each face one count of intentional second-degree murder for the death of 15-year-old Jahmari Rice. Solis and Valdez-Alvarez are also charged with two counts of attempted intentional second-degree murder: One for critically injuring a 17-year-old male victim, and another count for a third male victim, who was with Rice and the 17-year-old victim at the time of the shooting. He did not sustain any injuries as a result of the shooting.

Solis and Valdez-Alvarez are scheduled to make their first appearances Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Facility in downtown Minneapolis.

“Our community is dealing with a tremendous tragedy this week. The senseless shooting outside a school in Richfield that took the life of 15-year-old Jahmari Rice, and critically wounded another teenage victim, is extremely unsettling. Thankfully, the third male teenager who was shot at did not get hurt,” Freeman stated.

“While we continue to heal from past trauma, we also grieve the untimely loss of Mr. Rice. In these difficult times, we must band together as a community, and do what we can to ensure justice is met. Our office will do our part in prosecuting these defendants.”

According to the criminal complaints, on Feb. 1, shortly after noon, Richfield police responded shootings at the SECA School, South Education Center, on Penn Ave. S. Upon arrival, officers found Rice outside with the school nurse tending to him, as he lay on the ground with gunshot wound injuries. Paramedics arrived and quickly transported Rice to the Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) where he was pronounced dead.

The second male victim was found with a gunshot wound injury in the main entrance of the school being held by a staff member. Officers provided first aid, and upon paramedics arriving, he was transported to HCMC to undergo emergency surgery. He remains in critical condition, the complaint states.

Officers learned from the third male victim that a confrontation with Solis and Valdez-Alvarez, and Rice, he and the 17-year-old male victim, occurred in the school parking lot where Solis was punched once by the 17-year-old victim, the complaint continues.

In return, Valdez-Alvarez fired numerous shots at the three male victims. After he shot at the victims, Solis and Valdez-Alvarez ran to their SUV, where they continued to firing shots once they got inside the vehicle. Eventually, Valdez-Alvarez drove off with Solis in the passenger’s seat, the complaint says.

Numerous witnesses were also able inform investigators of what occurred.

Subsequent search warrants were executed at the residences of Solis and Valdez-Alvarez on the evening of Feb. 1. At Solis’ residence, officers located a 9mm Glock 45 handgun with an empty magazine inside, ammunition, and a sweatshirt he is seen wearing in surveillance video from the school at the time of the shooting. Solis was found at the house and taken into custody, the complaint states.

The search warrant at Valdez-Alvarez’s home resulted in the location of the SUV he and Solis drove away in after the shooting. Valdez-Alvarez was there and taken into custody.

Officers also found five 9mm discharged casings at the school where the SUV was parked.

View the criminal complaint for Alfredo Solis (PDF)

View the criminal complaint for Fernando Valdez-Alvarez (PDF)