Shootings in downtown St. Paul that injured two young men earlier this month were a dispute between rival gang members and associates, according to charges announced Thursday. Police found casings from four different brands of ammunition in the area.

Law enforcement arrested four men and a 15-year-old male Thursday morning.

The shootings happened outdoors after a Metropolitan State University commencement ceremony at the St. Paul RiverCentre’s Roy Wilkins Auditorium. An 18-year-old who was injured said he’d been at his cousin’s graduation. But any link to the commencement is “strictly limited to the fact that you had a huge gathering of people,” Police Chief Axel Henry said Thursday.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said one of his “greatest concerns heading into this summer is group violence associated with graduation and community gatherings.”

“Quickly solving this recent group shooting incident that happened in downtown St. Paul after a graduation celebration is critical in conveying the message to anyone associated with group gun violence that you will certainly get caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Shots across Kellogg Boulevard

On May 4 about 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a series of shootings that happened around the Grand Casino Arena. Two people were shot near Kellogg Boulevard.

The shootings were determined to be between “Muddy and Vill gang members and associates,” according to the criminal complaints.

A witness described two groups of men standing on opposite sides of Kellogg Boulevard. “One of the men lunged as if throwing a punch,” the complaints said. “Two men drew firearms.”

Officers found six 9mm shell casings by the RiverCentre loading dock, three 9mm casings from a different brand in the west lanes of Kellogg Boulevard, three .40 caliber casings by the loading dock entrance and on the south sidewalk of Kellogg, and a .223 rifle casing in the eastbound lane of Kellogg.

Law enforcement carried out search warrants Thursday morning in Lakeville, Prior Lake, Minnetonka and Brooklyn Park, said Alyssa Arcand, a St. Paul police spokeswoman.

Police recovered seven firearms, including three immediately after the shooting. Two handguns, one with a machine gun conversion device or “switch,” and two rifles were found during Thursday’s search warrants, Arcand said.

21-year-old injured among those charged

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday they’ve charged four men and are reviewing potential charges against another person. The county attorney’s office said they could not provide information about another person due to his age and state data privacy laws.

Zakriya Haashi Said, 21, of Lakeville, was injured in the shooting and is among those who were charged. Someone drove Said to United Hospital after he was shot in the face, which caused multiple bone fractures.

Surveillance video showed Said and a group on the south side of Kellogg Boulevard. The 18-year-old who was shot in the thigh was on the other side of Kellogg, part of a group by the arena’s front doors. The 18-year-old “threw disrespectful gang signs to antagonize Vill associates in Zakriya Said’s group across the street,” the complaints said.

Said walked “toward the opposing group holding a backpack,” and the 18-year-old approached and punched a 20-year-old relative of Said’s in the face, the complaints continued. Video posted on social media showed that after a person taunted Said, he pulled a rifle out of the backpack. The surveillance video showed him take “a modified shooting position” and people ran when he raised his arms.

Surveillance video also showed Omar Abdulwahab Mohamed, 19, of Brooklyn Park, with the 18-year-old who was shot. After Said pulled out the rifle and shots were fired, Mohamed was seen “in a shooting position facing Zakriya Said” until Said fell to the ground, the complaints said.

Mohamed and Said are both charged with second-degree assault and second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon. Mohamed is also charged with first-degree assault.

They are due to make their first court appearances in the case Friday. It wasn’t known Thursday whether they have attorneys representing them.

A 20-year-old from Savage is also charged in the case, accused of aiding a offender by acting as an accomplice after the fact.