Mall of America shooting victim identified as 19-year-old St. Paul resident

The 19-year-old man who was shot and killed at the Mall of America on Friday evening was identified on Sunday as Johntae Hudson of St. Paul, according to Fox 9 Minneapolis. 

An altercation broke out in the Nordstrom store shortly before 8 p.m. before someone pulled out a gun and shot Hudson multiple times, according to police. 

Johntae’s sister, Janayea Hudson, described the 19-year-old on a GoFundMe for his funeral as a “loving and caring person to his family and friends.”

“He radiated positive and fun energy and his smile lit up the room,” she wrote. “He was an overall great person.”

Officials lock down the west wing of the Mall of America after a shooting was reported Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Bloomington, Minnesota. 
(Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

Two officers walk out of Nordstrom in Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., after a shooting on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. 
(Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

A Bloomington Police Department SWAT team conducted a raid at 8:40 a.m. at a house in nearby St. Louis Park and arrested five suspects, two 18-year-old men and three 17-year-old boys. 

“I’m fairly confident we do have the person responsible for murdering the victim in custody,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said at a press conference. 

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All five of the suspects are being held on suspicion of second-degree murder. 

Signs around the Mall of America indicate that a lockdown is in progress after a shooting was reported Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Bloomington, Minn.
(Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

A Bloomington Police officer holds up a hand at the entrance to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., after reports of shots fired on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. 
(Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

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There were 16 police officers or security personnel in the mall at the time of the shooting, including an officer in a nearby store who attempted to provide life-saving measures to Hudson. 

It’s the second shooting to happen at Mall of America this year after gunfire broke out in the Nike store in August. No one was struck in that shooting, but five people were arrested. 

Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.