Fridley man sentenced to federal prison in New Year’s Day shooting that wounded Minneapolis girl

A Fridley man was given more than eight years in federal prison Tuesday for firing shots from an AR-style rifle just after midnight on New Year’s Day in Minneapolis, one of which struck an 11-year-old girl in the face as she looked out her bedroom window.

James William Turner Jr., 45, was sentenced to 100 months after pleading guilty May 23 to possession of ammunition as a felon in connection with the shooting of La’neria Wilson near Bryant and 23rd avenues on the city’s North Side.

Wilson underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments from her face on Jan. 3, two days before she turned 12, according to court documents.

The girl was stable and responsive and was able to tell officers that she was sitting in her second-story bedroom when she heard gunshots outside around midnight. She went to her window to look when a round came through the window and hit her in the face.

Officers found eight live cartridges and 24 discharged cartridge casings throughout the boulevard, sidewalk and yard.

A Snapchat video taken before the shooting showed Turner near the girl’s home and arguing with an unknown person before the camera turned to show an AR-style rifle lying across the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Doorbell surveillance footage showed Turner fire multiple rounds in the direction of the girl’s bedroom window, court documents say.