In the early morning hours of September 18, 2024, the life of 20-year-old Roland Scott LittleOwl, a Native American male, was tragically cut short in an alley in South Minneapolis. At approximately 4:40 a.m., in the 2500 block of 17th Avenue South, LittleOwl was shot and died at the scene. Another man was also shot and seriously injured in the same incident.
This act of violence was the beginning of a shooting spree that would terrorize the Phillips neighborhood.
The man responsible for this series of attacks was identified as Joshua Anthony Jones, a 37-year-old from Bemidji with a known history as a member of the Native Mob street gang. Less than 12 hours after killing LittleOwl, Jones fatally shot another man, 39-year-old Robert Milton Brown, in a nearby alley. Later that evening, around 7:20 p.m., he shot and wounded a third person in the same several-block area. Jones was arrested shortly after this third shooting.
Though the shootings occurred near homeless encampments, authorities stated that the victims did not appear to be unhoused, and it is believed that Jones knew the individuals he targeted. The motive for the shootings remains under investigation. In July 2025, Joshua Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional second-degree murder for the deaths of Roland Scott LittleOwl and Robert Milton Brown. As part of a plea agreement, other charges were dropped. On September 5, 2025, Jones was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his crimes.
