Mpls. Father Now Charged With Murder In 2-Year-Old Son's Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis police have announced that the father of a boy killed in a drive-by shooting in July now faces charges in connection to the boy's death.

On Friday, police announced via Facebook that Melvonte Lee Peterson's charges have been amended and they now include two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of manslaughter in connection to the death of 2-year-old Le'Vonte King Jason Jones.

On July 8, Le'Vonte King Jason Jones was hit by gunfire during an exchange of bullets at a busy intersection in north Minneapolis. His 15-month-old sister was also shot.

Authorities say LeVonte's father, Peterson, returned fire during the shooting. He was later charged with illegally having a gun, and using it in a drive-by shooting.

According to the amended complaint, Peterson was located inside an apartment in Brooklyn Park on July 15. He was then commanded to come upstairs from the basement, but did not respond for several minutes. He finally did come upstairs and was arrested. When officers searched the residence, they located a .45 caliber handgun in the basement rafters. Peterson had cobwebs and insulation in his hair when taken into custody.

Peterson is now in custody at the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center.

Police arrested 31-year-old Chris Welch on July 20, but charges were deferred due to insufficient evidence.

Police say its investigators are continuing to work on the investigation so all those responsible for the boy's death are held accountable.