Man charged in fatal 2021 Minneapolis shooting

A man has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting in 2021 in Minneapolis.

Kevin Eric Wilbert, 23, faces one count of second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces between three and 40 years in prison.

Wilbert was charged via a warrant and is not in custody.

According to a criminal complaint, a Hennepin County deputy was flagged down on a report of a deceased person in a car outside Deja Vu near the intersection of Washington Avenue North and Third Avenue around 2 a.m. on Aug. 22, 2021.

Law enforcement found a man in the driver’s seat of a car with a gunshot wound to his head and a casing next to a $100 bill. The victim — 32-year-old Manuel Dandre Lott — was dressed as if he had been on a motorcycle and officers found a gun on his person that was still in a holster. Lott’s motorcycle was found nearby.

A witness told police that Lott was in his vehicle and that he had driven to the scene with a woman to meet someone. The witness said his son, identified as Wilbert, was also in the vehicle. According to a criminal complaint, as the group went into the club, Wilbert said he forgot his phone and his father gave him the car keys to get it.

A short time after Wilbert came back, the woman in the group told Wilbert’s father that someone had been shot in the car.

Court documents state the woman told police that she went to check on Wilbert and got into the car with him and Lott. She said she was in the back seat, Lott was in the driver’s seat and Wilbert was in the passenger’s seat. The woman told police she had her head down and heard a gunshot. She then went into the club to tell Wilbert’s father.

In 2024, officers interviewed the woman again. She said when she walked out of the club, she saw Lott get off his motorcycle and shake hands with Wilbert. She added that she didn’t hear any arguing before the shooting.

Officers then interviewed another man who was with the group a second time. Court documents state that Wilbert was sitting with the group and then got up to go somewhere, which the witness said was “fishy.” Wilbert came back for a moment but then left with the woman.

The woman came back 20-30 minutes later and said that Wilbert had shot someone, according to court documents. The witness said he went outside and saw Lott slumped over in the car. He then pointed out a surveillance camera to police and flagged down the deputy to report the shooting.

Police also conducted a second interview with Wilbert’s father. He said Lott had called to sell them some marijuana but that he never showed up. He said the group decided to go to the club and that Wilbert asked for the car keys to get his phone. Court documents state that Lott called him to sell him marijuana and that he sent Wilbert and the woman to meet Lott.

He added that shortly after, the woman came back and said there was a shooting. Wilbert’s father tried to find his son but couldn’t and then called 911.

Officers found a fingerprint on the outside of the front passenger door that matched Wilbert. They also found his fingerprint on a cell phone in a travel bag in the trunk of the car.

Court documents state that the gunshot wound to Lott’s head was on the right side, meaning it would have come from the right. The gunshot residue on Lott’s face also indicated that the gun was pressed to his head.

There was another gunshot wound to Lott’s thigh and a bullet hole to the left of his head in the driver-side pillar of the car.