WILLMAR, Minn. — Two men were arrested Friday evening following a shooting incident in Willmar that police say was a targeted attack.
According to Willmar Police Chief Mike Holme, officers were dispatched around 5:51 p.m. to the area of 5th Street and 15th Avenue SW after reports of gunfire. The victim, who was not injured, maintained visual contact with the suspect vehicle and provided real-time updates that helped police locate and arrest the suspects.
The suspects were identified as 21-year-old Miguel Alejandro Soto, and 25-year-old Jomar Luis Saenz, both of Willmar. Soto faces charges of second-degree assault and reckless use of a dangerous weapon. Saenz faces the same charges, along with possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon. Both are being held in the Kandiyohi County Jail pending arraignment.
Police said the shooting appears to be an isolated incident involving only the individuals directly connected to it. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office and K-9 unit assisted at the scene.
Court records show both men have prior convictions involving firearms. Soto was sentenced in April 2024 to one year and one day in prison for terroristic threats and possessing a pistol without a permit. Saenz previously served a 58-month prison sentence for burglary and assault in a 2021 Willmar shooting, as well as a 36-month sentence for a separate gun threat the same day. He was released from prison last November.
