Charges pending in boy's death as vigil takes place in Mpls.

Rev. Jerry McAfee,  V,J. Smith
Rev. Jerry McAfee of the New Salem Baptist Church speaks to people Saturday at a vigil for 5-year-old Nizzel George, who was shot to death Tuesday in North Minneapolis. V.J. Smith, right, leads the Minneapolis chapter of MAD DADS. About 120 people attended the gathering.
MPR Photo/Martin Moylan

MINNEAPOLIS -- Charges could come as early as Monday against two juveniles arrested in the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old boy in North Minneapolis. The arrests stemmed from tips offered by the community.

About 120 people attended a vigil Saturday in North Minneapolis for Nizzel George, who was shot to death while sleeping on his grandmother's couch on Tuesday.

Clergy members, community leaders, neighbors and other parents who have lost children to random shootings tried to comfort the George family and called for actions to end gun violence.

The vigil was organized by the anti-violence group MAD DADS.

V.J. Smith, a spokesman for MAD DADS, said neighborhood residents will try everything from starting community crime watches to persuading teenagers to give up guns.

Nizzel George
Nizzel Anthony George, 5, was killed on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, when he was struck by a bullet while sleeping on a couch in a home on Knox Avenue in North Minneapolis.
Handout photo

"It's about taking a stand," Smith said. "It's about getting out there and getting mobilized. That's what we're doing. Everybody's coming together, pulling together and getting out. We're getting out there in the streets now. We're going to show these kids that we're not playing anymore. You're not going to just kill our babies and get away with it."

Cornelius George, Nizzel's father, says: "I just hope no more kids get killed. What I remembered is, in my heart, no matter what I know God got him. At the end of the day, everything happens for a reason, man. Now he doesn't have to be on Earth -- no more suffering. He's in heaven with the king."

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.