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Mall of America shooting victim ID'ed as 19-year-old St. Paul, Minn., man

A shooting incident at the Mall of America on Friday claimed the life of Johntae Hudson, 19, of St. Paul, Minn. FIle Photo courtesy Mall of America
A shooting incident at the Mall of America on Friday claimed the life of Johntae Hudson, 19, of St. Paul, Minn. FIle Photo courtesy Mall of America

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The victim of a fatal shooting at the Mall of America last week was identified by Minnesota officials on Monday as a 19-year-old man from St. Paul, Minn.

Johntae Hudson was found to have died at 7:49 p.m. Friday from "multiple gunshot wounds" and the manner of his death declared a homicide, Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker said in a news release.

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His sister Janayea Hudson has organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for his funeral, which has since raised $9,275.

"Johntae was the most loving and caring person to his family and friends. He radiated positive and fun energy and his smile lit up the room. He was an overall great person," she wrote.

Janayea Hudson told KARE-TV that her brother had gone to the mall to find a sweater to go with his shoes to attend a friend's birthday that night.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said in a news conference on Saturday that five people had been arrested in connection with the shooting, including three 17-year-old boys and two 18-year-old men.

Hodges said that all five suspects, who were arrested by SWAT officers at a home in suburban St. Louis Park, Minn., will be charged with second-degree murder for the incident, which occurred in a Nordstrom department store in the nation's largest mall.

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"We know the how, and the where, we know the what and we know the who, but we don't know the why this happened, and we don't know the why because flat out just aren't cooperating and people don't want to talk," Hodges said.

The incident marked the first fatal shooting in the history of the mall, which opened in 1992.

However, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that gun incidents have become a growing concern at the shopping center, which is one of Minnesota's largest tourist destinations.

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