Minneapolis man sentenced to more than 24 years in prison in connection to murder of 16-year-old

Tommy Wiita

Shannon Lavelle Blackman[Hennepin County Sheriff's Office]

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday a 24-year-old from Minneapolis has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison in connection to a murder that happened last year.

Shannon Blackman was sentenced Monday afternoon to just over 24 years (290 months) in prison for the 2019 murder and assault.

Blackman pleaded guilty last week to aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree assault in the death of 16-year-old Quayshun Felton. The assault charge was for shooting at Felton’s friend who was standing nearby at the time of the murder, the attorney’s office says.

Both in his plea appearance last week and his sentencing Monday, Blackman did not reveal a motive behind the crime.

According to the criminal complaint and what Blackman admitted in court last week, he and Andre Owens on the afternoon of July 19, 2019, saw Felton and his friend in a yard near Colfax and 30th avenues. The two men were on their bicycles and rode up near the two victims before firing multiple shots, killing Felton but missing his friend.

Witnesses identified the two young men as the shooter and a dashboard camera in a delivery vehicle parked just down the street recorded the shooting and verified the witness accounts.

Owens, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February and was sentenced to 31 years (372 months) in prison.

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