Man Accused In Mall Of America Shooting Booked In Cook County Jail

CHICAGO, IL — The man who is accused of shooting inside the Mall of America earlier this month has been formally booked in the Cook County Jail.

Shamar Alon Lark, 21, of Minneapolis was arrested on Aug. 12 during a traffic stop conducted by the Chicago FBI's Fugitive Task Force at about 2:30 p.m. They also arrested Rashad Jamal May, 23, of Burnsville.

The two men were arrested after having just left a Chicago barbershop, police said. Lark and May were both booked later that day, county jail records state.

They are being held without bail while they wait to be sent back to Minnesota.

Gov. Tim Walz has promised that he is prepared for their "immediate extradition."

"Minnesotans deserve to know that people who commit brazen acts like the shooting at the Mall of America will be held accountable by Minnesota prosecutors and courts," Walz said in a statement last week.

"I am ready to act quickly to extradite the suspects who fled to Chicago. We will not delay in ensuring that these individuals face justice here in Minnesota."

So far, five people have been arrested in connection to the Aug. 4 shooting, including two hotel workers.

Denesh Raghubir, 21, Selena Raghubir, 23, and Delyanie Kwen-Shawn Arnold, 23, each face one count of aiding an offender to avoid arrest. If convicted, they each face a max of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

On Aug. 4 at about 4:15 p.m., Bloomington police officers on duty at the Mall of America were alerted to gunshots fired on the west side of the mall.

Surveillance video showed that a fight involving six people broke out near the Nike checkout area, causing customers to run away, according to the criminal complaints.

Video also showed Lark and May leaving the store briefly before Lark returned and fired a handgun into the store, authorities said.

The footage then showed Lark and May running east in the mall, out the north doors, and into the parking lot of IKEA, the criminal complaints state.

Police say records from May's phone showed that after the shooting, he contacted Delyanie Kwen-Shawn Arnold and Denesh Raghubir. Authorities said Arnold then contacted his girlfriend, Selena Raghubir. Selena works as an assistant manager at Best Western, according to police.

According to investigators, Lark and May were picked up by Denesh in a Best Western hotel shuttle at IKEA and he transported them to the Best Western location across the street from the mall.

The shuttle dropped Lark and May at the back side of the hotel, where a vehicle registered to Selena Raghubir was trailing behind, authorities said.

"We are deeply saddened by the violence that took place at the Mall of America last week and our thoughts are with the Minneapolis community," Best Western said in a statement emailed to Patch.

"Noting this hotel is independently owned and operated, we support the hotel's decision to immediately terminate the employees who were allegedly involved in this terrible event. The actions of these employees stand in stark contrast to our brand's values and the sense of community that is at the heart of our hotel family."