At around 7 p.m., Monday, March 22, the West Fargo Police Department responded to a shooting in the area of Ninth Street W. and Parkway Drive. The shooting occurred after CJ Jesse James Carruthers, a 19-year old male and one 17 year old juvenile male, exited a residence on Parkway Drive and attempted to rob the driver of a dark blue or black vehicle they had called to the location. During the attempted robbery, both parties began shooting and one juvenile victim who was in a nearby residence was struck by a bullet in the head. The victim was transported to a local hospital.
The responding officers were able to locate Carruthers and the juvenile in the area and take them into custody for questioning and subsequent arrests. Officers were also able to recover a firearm believed to be connected to the shooting. Carruthers and the juvenile male were arrested for Reckless Endangerment with a Firearm, Robbery and Discharge of a Firearm within City Limits. The West Fargo Police Department has submitted a report to the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office for charging.
The West Fargo Police Department is looking for the owner or driver of a dark colored vehicle that was targeted in the robbery and possibly fired upon. Anyone with information about this car, or its occupant(s) at the time of the incident, or anyone with surveillance video of the incident or any additional information is asked to call the police department at (701) 433-5500.
This incident is unrelated to the shooting Sunday night that also caused gunshot injuries.
The West Fargo Police Department shares the concerns of our community after experiencing two shootings in two days resulting in innocent victims being injured. These incidents were targeted to the individuals involved and not the larger community. We are committed to holding the parties involved responsible for their actions.
We would like to thank the Fargo Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for their assistance over the course of the last two days. I would also like commend our officers for their brave and quick actions that resulted in identifying and arresting the suspects from last night’s incident.