White man taken into custody after killing wife, shooting Black neighbors and firing 40 rounds at cops
Jason Michael Mesich is currently being held at the Hennepin County Jail and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted.
A white man was taken into custody alive after he killed his wife, shot his two Black neighbors and fired over 40 rounds at police officers.
According to CBS Minnesota, 48-year-old Jason Michael Mesich is facing one count of second-degree murder for the death of his wife and two counts of second-degree attempted murder for shooting his two neighbors, one of which was a 12-year-old.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s office says officers were called to the neighborhood on Sunday (Aug. 30) after receiving several reports of gunshots being fired. Once they arrived, they heard more gunshots from inside the home.
The officers went into the home’s garage and found the body of Angela, Mesich’s wife. She was shot several times in the torso and neck.
Mesich then went into a standoff with police. Authorities were able to enter his home as he continued to fire his weapon. After firing an estimated 40 rounds at police, he surrendered.
A few moments later, officers learned that Mesich had shot his two Black neighbors. The victims’ aunts identified them as 29-year-old Canisha and 12-year-old Makayla. The child was shot in the head and is in critical condition as of Monday (Aug. 31). Canisha was shot multiple times in the hip and legs and is in critical condition as well.
Authorities say Mesich and his wife got into an argument over the couple’s lack of sex. He said that he didn’t remember much about the shooting and he “probably” went into his home and got a gun. The gunman claims that his wife tried to hit him and in return he punched her in the collarbone with both fists. “He then said she told him to shoot her, and that he assumed he did so, and assumed he ‘emptied’ the gun to make sure she was dead,” according to the outlet.
Mesich reportedly opened fire on his neighbors out of nowhere as they were packing their things into a moving truck. He told authorities that they were not “good neighbors” and that “he hated all children.”
Authorities found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and several guns inside of Mesich’s home. He is currently being held at the Hennepin County Jail and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted.