Second man charged in Minneapolis shooting that killed off-duty firefighter

MINNEAPOLIS – Charges were brought against a second man in connection with a shoot-out in front of a bar in south Minneapolis, in which a city firefighter was killed.

Dallas Villarreal-Griffin, 26, is charged with first-degree riot, according to a complaint filed last Friday in Hennepin County. Marquise Hammonds-Ford, a 28-year-old Monticello man, is also facing charges for the shoot.

At approximately 12:40 a.m. on May 5, officers were called to a shooting outside a bar in the 900 block of Cedar Avenue South.

Joseph Johnsan off-duty firefighter from Eden Prairie and Eagan, died in the shooting. He was at a private party with several motorcycle groups in a bar when shots were fired.

According to the charges, officers found 63 fired shell casings on both sides of the street in front of the bar. Investigators were able to determine that the bullets were fired from seven different weapons.

After evaluating video evidence of the shooting, police said it “became clear that the victim’s death was the result of an altercation and subsequent shooting between two groups of men standing on opposite sides of the street next to the bar.”

The charges say Hammonds-Ford yelled and pointed a gun at the other group before pointing his weapon upward and firing it into the air. In response, both groups began shooting at each other across the street. Johns was caught in the crossfire while directing traffic.

Investigators identified Villareal-Griffin as one of several men who openly carried a firearm during the altercation.

The lawsuit states that the group, which included Hammonds-Ford and Villareal-Griffin, attempted to “intimidate and/or provoke” the other group by “signaling a willingness and intent to shoot.”

Shortly after the shooting, Hammonds-Ford and others took Villareal-Griffin to the hospital. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the incident. At the hospital, Villareal-Griffin denied any involvement in the shooting, police said.

In an interview with investigators after his arrest last Friday, Villareal-Griffin allegedly admitted to being involved in the shooting and owning a ghost gun.

Villareal-Griffin, who also had warrants for domestic violence, has since been released from jail on $100,000 bail.

His next court date is scheduled for June 10.