Judge Denies Motion To Move Trial Of Accused 4th Precinct Shooter

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Hennepin County judge Tuesday denied a motion to move the location of the trial of a man charged with shooting and injuring five protesters at a Minneapolis Police precinct last year.

Allen Lance Scarsella, 24, is charged with one count of first-degree assault and five counts of second-degree assault in the Nov. 19 incident.

After the shooting death of Jamar Clark last year in Minneapolis, demonstrators camped outside the 4th Precinct in north Minneapolis to demand the release of footage of the incident that came from an ambulance. The protest lasted days, and tensions ran high.

Scarsella was one of four young men who prosecutors say went to the precinct armed, but investigators believe it was only Scarsella who fired shots.

Scarsella's attorneys filed a motion early last month to move the trial to a different county, claiming local news coverage of the shooting would taint the jury pool. Hennepin County judge Hilary Caligiuri disagreed, and denied the request.

A pre-trial hearing in the case is set for Wednesday afternoon.