New charges, court hearing from string of fatal shootings last week in Minneapolis

As the murder of five Indigenous people in south Minneapolis continues to send shockwaves across the state, one of the alleged killers made his first court appearance in Hennepin County on Monday.

James Duane Ortley, wearing a green vest that denoted he was a risk to himself or others, stood in front of Judge Maximillia Utley to face four counts of second-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm.

Ortley allegedly shot five acquaintances in the head inside a car last week. Four have died: Evan Denny, 27, of St. Paul; Joseph Goodwin, 17, of Minneapolis; LeRas Rainey, 28, of Minneapolis; and Merelle White, 20, of Red Lake.

Rainey’s parents were sitting in the courtroom Monday.

Les Robinson, Rainey’s father, said he knew Ortley and the reasons he’s heard for the killing run the gamut and defy explanation.

“Ranks, gangs, I don‘t know,” Robinson said, “jealousy.”

“All these kids came up on the South Side,” he continued. “They’re all friends in the neighborhood coming up. ... They were good at one time, until they got to that age.”

On top of the charges against Ortley, three men were charged last week with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Tiago Antonio Gilbert, 34, of Minneapolis. That killing happened the following afternoon, four blocks away from the other shooting.

The recent shootings have reverberated through Minnesota’s Indigenous communities from south Minneapolis to northern Minnesota. Red Lake Nation is offering counseling services through the Native American Community Clinic and said in a statement that, “These acts of violence are not only tragic — they are a direct threat to our communities.”

Ortley’s Monday hearing coincided with National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Across Minnesota, marches and ceremonies were held Monday to recognize the epidemic of violence facing Indigenous people.

Robinson, a member of Red Lake, said the last time he saw his son was the night he was killed.

“He left the house real happy,” Robinson said. “Told us he was going to go see his friends and he’d be back in a couple hours.”

“A lot of sadness, a lot of sadness, people are mixed up,” Robinson said. “It’s a lot of frustration. We’re taking a lot of time to heal.”

At Monday’s hearing, Senior Hennepin County Attorney Judith Cole said there wasn‘t any current option for conditional release from jail for Ortley because there is a federal hold on him.

Court records indicate there are no active federal cases against Ortley, but there is one pending charge from the U.S. Marshals Service, which aided in the search and effectuated the arrest of Ortley last week.

The charges against Ortley brought by the County Attorney’s Office indicate he is a member of the Native Mob, one of the largest and most violent American Indian gangs in the U.S. which originated in Minneapolis and operates in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota.

In recent years, federal prosecutors have brought racketeering charges against gangs in the Twin Cities, including the Bloods, Highs and Lows, and had prosecutorial success.

Last week, second-degree murder charges were brought against Victor Joseph Vasquez-Rodriguez, 20, of Hayward, Wis.; and Jose David Vasquez-Rodriguez, 22, of Minneapolis in connection Gilbert’s murder.

Also charged with aiding an offender from arrest was Raphael Joseph Rodriguez, 35, of Columbia Heights.

All have yet to be apprehended as of Monday morning, and warrants have been issued for their arrests.

Police have said gang retaliation might have been behind Gilbert’s death.

Gilbert’s family said in an online fundraising campaign that he was “a devoted father, a loving fiancé, and a cherished son, brother, and friend whose smile and warmth touched everyone he met.”

According to the charges involving Gilbert’s death:

Officers arrived at the 2100 block of Cedar Avenue S. and found Gilbert, who was wounded, in the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 911 caller reported seeing a car fleeing the area and provided its license plate number. Officers soon found the car behind Raphael Rodriguez‘s home.

Surveillance video of the crime scene showed both Victor Vasquez-Rodriguez and Jose Vasquez-Rodriguez shooting Gilbert on the street. Gilbert ran before he was shot again and then shot while on the ground. The two shooters and Raphael Rodriguez reportedly fled in the car.

Gilbert’s girlfriend told police that the two of them had gotten out of their car to have a smoke, while their small children remained in the vehicle. She said she saw two men shoot Gilbert. She said gunfire also hit their car while the children were still inside.