Man accused in Minneapolis bus shooting to make first court appearance

A 26-year-old Minneapolis man charged in a deadly double shooting on a Metro Transit bus last week was set to make his first appearance in Hennepin County District Court Monday.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office filed murder and attempted murder charges against Malcolm Lessley on Friday, a day after the shooting.

According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video on the C-Line bus in downtown Minneapolis recorded Lessley having a brief conversation with one man before the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim.

After he wounded the first passenger, prosecutors said Lessley walked past another man sitting on the bus and shot him in the side of the head.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has identified the victim as 51-year-old Tommie McCoy. The wounded man, identified only by his initials in the complaint, was in critical condition at the time the charges were filed.

It isn’t clear if Lessley knew either man, and prosecutors didn’t include any possible motives for the shooting in the criminal complaint.

Police found Lessley a few blocks from the scene of the shooting, court documents said. Police said Lessley’s appearance matched the descriptions provided by witnesses.