Assault charge dropped against woman involved in shooting that left her child’s father injured

By KSTP

[MGN]

Anoka County prosecutors dropped first-degree assault charges against a woman who was accused of aiding and abetting a shooting that left the father of her child injured earlier this year.

Shavonne Alexander, 29, had her case dismissed without prejudice after Anoka County attorneys said they could not “prove without reasonable doubt that Defendant intended to aid and/or abet the primary actor” according to court filings.

The charge stemmed from a shooting at a Fridley apartment complex in May.

Court documents say when officers responded to reports of a shooting, they learned that a man showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound. That man was later taken to another hospital for surgery because of the severity of his injury.

The victim told police that he and his child’s mother, 29-year-old Shavonne Vurniece Alexander, were arguing outside the apartment building and walking near the victim’s parked tan Nissan. The victim states that Shavonne Alexander was on the phone with her sister, 24-year-old Camella Alexander, during the argument.

A criminal complaint states that the victim told investigators he and Shavonne had been arguing and Shavonne then told him he would “be touched” as a result of their argument. Other witnesses told law enforcement they heard Shavonne make several threats.

Video surveillance shows and witnesses also stated that before the shooting, a white Ford Fusion pulled up and parked near the front entrance.

The victim then went up to his brother’s apartment building and buzzed the unit so his brother would let him in. Court documents state that Camella and a man named John Elliot Dickens, 20, walked up to the entrance and Dickens was carrying a gun. The video then shows Dickens and the victim struggle before a shot is fired and Dickens runs back to the vehicle he came in and Camella drives off. The vehicle also stopped in an adjacent lot to pick up Shavonne before driving away.

Court documents note that Dickens and the Alexanders are siblings.

The victim told law enforcement that he would have been shot in the chest if he had not pushed the gun away at the time of the shooting.

The complaint states that Shavonne and Camella exchanged 10 calls in the hour before the shooting. In the days after the shooting, the sisters were seen together in Kansas City, Missouri.

Camella Alexander is still facing charges for attempted second-degree murder in addition to first-degree assault. Her court date is currently set for April 22, 2024.

Dickens is set to appear in court for attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault on Dec. 19, 2023.