A second man has been charged in the Minneapolis shooting of an off-duty Eagan and Eden Prairie firefighter who prosecutors say was caught in the crossfire between two groups that exchanged more than 60 rounds of gunfire.

Dallas Antonio Villarreal-Griffin, who was wounded in the shootout, faces aiding and abetting first-degree riot resulting in death in connection with the May 5 shooting of Joseph Charles Johns behind the former Whiskey Junction bar in the 900 block of Cedar Avenue South.

Joseph Johns (Courtesy of the Eden Prairie Fire Department)

Based on a witness account, Johns was directing traffic when the gunfight erupted, catching him in the crossfire, according to the criminal complaints. He was shot once by a bullet fired from a 9mm handgun, hitting him in the chest.

Johns, 40, was a full-time firefighter with Eagan since 2020. He was also a duty call firefighter part-time in Eden Prairie, where he lived, since 2015.

Villarreal-Griffin, 26, of Columbia Heights, was arrested by Minneapolis police on Friday and charged the same day in Hennepin County District Court. He appeared before a judge Monday and remained jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.

Villarreal-Griffin, who was shot in the leg and hospitalized, admitted to firing a 9mm “ghost gun” into a group, the charges say. Ghost guns are privately made and untraceable because they don’t have serial numbers.

“(Villarreal-Griffin) was made aware that he is one of the individuals who may have fired the shot which killed (Johns),” the complaint against him says.

Marquise Trevone Hammonds-Ford, of Monticello, was arrested and charged May 9 for his alleged role in Johns’ death. The shootout began when the 28-year-old fired rapid gunshots into the air from a 10mm handgun modified into an automatic weapon, according to the complaint charging him with aiding and abetting first-degree riot resulting in death.

According to the complaints:

Minneapolis police responded to the area around 12:30 a.m. after a call of a shooting with two people injured. Johns was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center less than an hour later.

Officers spoke to witnesses and learned that prior to the shooting hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of a motorcycle club.

Officers at the scene collected 63 discharged cartridge casings, which were found in clusters on both sides of the street in front of the bar.

Evidence, including video surveillance, showed that Johns was shot as two groups exchanged gunfire from opposite sides of the street.

When the shooting stopped, Hammonds-Ford and others sped off and dropped off an “injured associate,” later identified as Villarreal-Griffin, at HCMC.

Dallas Antonio Villarreal-Griffin and Marquise Trevone Hammonds-Ford (Courtesy of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)

Forensic testing showed that shots were fired by seven guns: six 9mm firearms and one 10mm firearm.

Investigators created a map of the crime scene that showed a cluster of four 10mm cartridge casings in the spot where Hammonds-Ford fired his initial barrage of gunfire.

In his interview with police, Villarreal-Griffin said he did not know what happened to his ghost gun because he left it in the car when he was dropped off.

“The investigation into other suspects responsible for the death of (Johns) is ongoing,” the complaints say.

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