Columbia Heights Man Charged with Reckless Discharge of Firearm
By MN Crime Watch, December 19, 2019
A Columbia Heights man who is prohibited from owning firearms reportedly fired shots into the air on Tuesday morning, and following his arrest, police found seven firearms inside his residence along with a box of ammunition that had “for n*****s only” written on it in marker, according to charges filed in Anoka County.
Police were dispatched to a residence on the 4500 block of 4th St NE just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, after at least two people reported that shots had been fired.
Arriving officers were flagged down by a man who said there was a man wearing a camouflage jacket that had stepped out of his house with a handgun and fired several rounds into the air. The witness said the man went back into his house.
When the officer arrived at the suspect’s residence, he observed a person wearing camouflage walking into the rear door of the house. Other responding officers created a perimeter around the residence and an officer observed the same person in a corner bedroom hanging an American flag in the window. The man took down the flag a few minutes later.
A Minneapolis Crime Watch page posted on Facebook as the situation was developing. The post indicated that police were trying to contact nearby neighbors to see if any of the houses were occupied, and that they made contact with one woman who was hiding in the basement with her children.
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(Image of Facebook post)
Police received information leading them to identify the suspect as Alexander Paul Jewison, 30. An officer was able to get in contact with Jewison’s mother, who reported that her son had been acting unwell and that she’d been told that her son had expressed he wanted to “kill all the n*****s” and “sent them weird stuff,” the complaint said.
An officer attempted to contact Jewison over the phone several times but received no response. The complaint said that Jewison also did not respond to the use of the squad PA system. A neighbor informed officers that Jewison had guns in the residence. The SWAT team was requested due to officer and public safety concerns.
The complaint said that Jewison exited his front door after an extended period of time and was handcuffed and taken into custody. While being walked to the street, Jewison became belligerent and physically struggled while yelling and swearing at the officers and continued to physically struggle as he was brought to the ground. Jewison appeared to have a seizure, but repeatedly stopped to swear and scream. EMS was called and Jewison was sedated and transported to the hospital. He was booked into Anoka County jail later that same evening.
Upon a subsequent search of the residence, officers recovered seven firearms, including handguns and rifles, as well as a speed loader and ammunition. One of the boxes of ammunition had “for n*****s only” written on it in marker.
An investigator was later contacted by a person who said she was a friend of Jewison’s grandfather. The woman said the grandfather had asked her to check on the residence while he was in the hospital, but she refused because Jewison was there and had been acting paranoid, and talking about being in the military and a drug dealer. The woman also expressed concerns about Jewison using methamphetamine and said the grandfather had hidden Jewison’s guns before he entered the hospital, but that Jewison must have found them.
Jewison has been charged with one felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm within a municipality, and two gross misdemeanor charges of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms or ammunition and obstruction. Jewison could face up to two years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge.
Jewison has an August 2019 conviction for gross misdemeanor fifth-degree controlled substance which makes him ineligible to possess firearms or ammunition. He was ordered to serve 30 days in jail on that conviction and was given credit for 20 days already served and released on probation by Douglas County Judge Timothy M. Churchwell.
Jewison also had an April 2019 felony conviction for motor vehicle theft for which he received a stay-of-imposition (felony sentence not imposed, and as a result, the conviction was deemed a misdemeanor), again from Judge Churchwell. Jewison was alternatively ordered to serve 170 days in jail and was given credit for 113 days already served, which means he was released on probation at that time since inmates are only required to serve two-thirds of their sentence incarcerated — which would have been 113 days. Jewison also has other convictions for theft, disorderly conduct and traffic violations.
Jewison is currently in custody in Anoka County Jail and made his first court appearance on Thursday. Court records show that he’s holding on $20,000 bail without conditions or $2,000 with conditions. Jewison was granted a public defender and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Jan. 16.
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