Tyrque Jones, Hennepin County Jail
In a stunning turn of events, Fargo Police dismissed murder charges Thursday against Tyrque Jones, the man they pursued for four months as the prime suspect in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Azeem Holmes outside downtown Fargo nightclub District 64 on August 3rd.
Jones, 20, was arrested in Minneapolis by a U.S. Marshals task force on Wednesday. During interviews at Hennepin County Jail, Jones provided information corroborated by video evidence, leading investigators to shift their attention to another individual. The video footage was not new evidence–police had access to it following the incident. However, Captain Matt Christensen said in a Friday press conference that a review of the same video used to develop probable cause against Jones ultimately proved he wasn’t the shooter.
Christensen called it “frustrating” that Jones had information that could have prevented the four-month manhunt, noting no offers were made by Jones or his family to provide clearing information—though Jones’ mother wrote a public letter a week after the shooting claiming her son’s innocence.
Jones will be extradited to Cass County on outstanding warrants for terrorizing, driving under suspension, and resisting arrest. Police are not identifying new suspects at this time.
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