Prosecutors have charged two men for a firefight that lodged bullets into the side of a popular White Bear Lake sports bar.
Kardell Baraka Otae Jackson, 49, was charged Friday with second-degree assault and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition in connection with a Sept. 24 firefight outside of Doc’s Landing.
The other man involved in the shooting turned himself in days afterward. White Bear Lake Police Chief Dale Hager said that man was charged and released from custody, but it’s unclear what those charges are. Ramsey County Attorney’s Office spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said that man’s case is under review so charging details were not available Friday. The Star Tribune normally does not name suspects until they are charged.
According to charging documents against Jackson:
Bar surveillance video captured two men arguing inside the bar about 12:50 a.m. One of the men, identified as Jackson, held a pool cue as if he was going to hit the man he was arguing with before two women and a man intervened. Jackson left the bar and ran to a light-colored Chevrolet Tahoe in the parking lot. The other man allegedly ran toward Jackson with a pistol in hand.
Jackson fired at him, scattering debris as his bullets hit the side of Doc’s Landing. The man chasing Jackson took cover behind a white Tesla as the two continued shooting at each other. Bullets struck both vehicles, a bar window, the bar’s rooftop fascia and a dart machine inside. Jackson fled with one of the women who intervened in the bar. The other man left alone in a black GMC Denali.
After both men fled, police found 13 shell casings at the scene as well as one man whose arm was grazed by a bullet inside the bar.
Days later, a man turned himself in to investigators and identified himself as the shooter who argued with Jackson. He explained that he had bumped into a table while at the bar, knocking a glass of soda onto his ex-girlfriend’s sister. The two got into an argument and Jackson, the woman’s boyfriend, intervened.
The two argued before Jackson ran outside. Gunfire erupted, and one of the rounds struck the man in the leg. He was treated at a clinic the next day and said family persuaded him to talk to the police.
Jackson was arrested Sept. 27. He denied being involved in the shooting or argument at the bar that night. Jackson said he was trying to defuse the situation and left, alone, to avoid trouble. He claimed to have no knowledge of how bullet holes appeared in the side of his Tahoe, and denied firing a weapon at Doc’s Landing that night.
Officers who searched Jackson’s SUV found a 9mm handgun and marijuana. It’s unclear whether those items are connected to the shooting. Jackson has previous felonies for domestic assault, check forgery and violating two orders for protection. The domestic assault conviction makes him ineligible to own guns or ammunition.