Teen sentenced to 2 decades in prison for fatal shooting on downtown light rail platform
Mugshot of Tashawn Powell Credit: Hennepin County Jail
A St. Paul teen has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for fatally shooting a 15-year-old last summer in downtown Minneapolis.
Monday, 17-year-old Tashawn Powell was sentenced to serve 275 months (22.9 years) at the St. Cloud prison for one count of second-degree intentional murder. In addition, he must pay more than $7,200 in restitution.
Powell, who entered a guilty plea to the charge earlier this month, was charged as an adult in December after initially being in juvenile court.
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As previously reported, police were called to the Nicollet Mall light rail station near South Fifth Street around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 2. That’s where police found and tried to revive Fred Ulysses Walker, who died at the scene.
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According to the juvenile petition, officers were able to watch video footage from Metro Transit to get a description of the suspect. A short time later, as officers searched the area, police say a bus driver reported someone matching the suspect’s description. Police then responded to that area and arrested Powell.
While arresting Powell, officers found a handgun that matched the caliber of the discharged casing found near the victim’s body. The petition adds that Powell later admitted to shooting the victim.