Man gets prison sentence for role in shooting that left 1 dead
Minneapolis police collect evidence at the scene of a homicide Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, on Golden Valley Road. (KSTP)
A man charged for having a role in a fatal shooting will be spending time in prison.
According to Hennepin County court records, Darnell Cornelius Lewis was sentenced Thursday for one count of aiding and abetting first-degree assault to 54 months (about four and a half years) in the St. Cloud prison and was allowed 182 days of credit.
During Thursday’s hearing, two charges of second-degree assault and one count of attempted first-degree aggravated robbery were dismissed.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Lewis was charged in connection to a fatal shooting during a robbery attempt in north Minneapolis in early February. The shooting happened in an alley near the intersection of Russell Avenue North and Golden Valley Road around 3:30 p.m.
27-year-old Marlo Randy Phillips was found dead at the scene.
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Charging documents state Phillips and Lewis had gone to buy marijuana from the victim. Surveillance video captured them approach the vehicle where Phillips entered the front passenger side of the victim’s sedan.
According to the charging documents, the sound of a muffled gunshot was then heard before Lewis ran to the side of the sedan and Phillips fell to the ground outside the sedan. The victim and Lewis also appeared to exchange gunshots briefly.
The victim of the apparent robbery suffered serious injuries.
The victim of the robbery was able to drive himself to a hospital, and court records say his 1-year-old daughter was in the vehicle with him at the time. The man suffered five gunshot wounds, including a critical wound to the chest that required immediate surgery. He also had a portion of his intestines removed. No injuries were reported to the toddler.
The victim talked to police the next day and admitted to selling marijuana because he lost his job. When he got to the meet-up spot, he said two men in masks came up to his car and one entered because his car’s auto-lock was broken, then immediately pointed a gun at him, court documents state.
He added that a fight ensued before shots were fired and he tried to drive away sooner but crashed as Lewis allegedly fired shots at him. Eventually, he escaped and made it to the hospital.