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ALPR, phone data tie suspect to North Side shooting

Minneapolis police arrested Ananias Cortex Williams on Aug. 19 in connection with a July 20 shooting on the 1200 block of Oliver Avenue North that wounded a man.[1]

The victim suffered a left-arm wound and three parked cars were struck, police said.[1] Investigators recovered roughly 35 spent shell casings and linked a 9mm casing from the scene to a Glock 19 tied to three other shootings earlier in 2026.[1]

The shooting occurred around 9:45 p.m. on July 20 on the 1200 block of Oliver Avenue North, police said.[1] Investigators said they hit on a Ford Explorer using an automatic license plate reader and tied that vehicle to earlier traffic-stop records.[1] Detectives also obtained an electronic cell-phone tracking warrant that placed Williams at the scene before officers arrested him with the Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team on Aug. 19.[1]

  1. FOX 9
Public Safety Legal Technology
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📌 Key Facts

  • Shooting occurred around 9:45 p.m. July 20, 2026 on the 1200 block of Oliver Avenue North, injuring a man in the left arm and striking three parked cars.
  • Investigators recovered roughly 35 spent shell casings and linked a 9mm casing from the scene to a Glock 19 tied to three other 2026 shootings.
  • Police used an automatic license plate reader hit on a Ford Explorer, prior traffic-stop records, and an electronic cell-phone tracking warrant to identify and place suspect Ananias Cortex Williams at the scene before arresting him with MPD SWAT on Aug. 19.

📰 Source Timeline (1)

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August 22, 2026
10:22 PM
MPD credits use of automatic license plate reader in shooting arrest
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul by [email protected] (Kilat Fitzgerald)