2 charged with murder in April shooting in Minneapolis
Minneapolis police place evidence markers at the scene of a shooting Thursday, April 27, 2023, on Bryant Avenue North. (KSTP)
Two men have been arrested and charged for their alleged roles in a deadly shooting involving automatic gunfire earlier this year in north Minneapolis.
Court documents filed Tuesday in Hennepin County show 28-year-old Dante Carter and 31-year-old Shannon Jackson are each charged with second-degree murder. Carter also faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A criminal complaint states officers responded to a shooting on the afternoon of April 27 near the intersection of North 21st and Bryant Avenues. Police recovered 15 expended 9mm shell casings at the scene, and a ShotSpotter activation indicated the bullets had been shot in two quick bursts.
A victim — who has yet to be identified — was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital after being shot in the head and was pronounced dead a few days later. He was sitting in a parked car at the time of the shooting, court documents show.
Surveillance video in the area shows a Dodge Charger driving through the neighborhood before making a U-turn and returning to the spot where the shell casings were recovered, according to the complaint. A passenger is then seen shooting a gun out the window.
A witness told police that Jackson was driving the Charger and Carter was in the front passenger seat, according to the complaint.
Investigators searched the license plate on the Charger and found it belonged to Carter. Police in Coon Rapids tried to pull over that car on May 2, but the driver sped off before parking in north Minneapolis. While searching the car, police found Carter’s fingerprints and a DNA match with Jackson on a plastic straw.
The two suspects weren’t arrested until last Thursday.
The Violent Offender Task Force took Jackson into custody while serving a warrant in Plymouth; officers also recovered 9mm and .45-caliber handguns, both with auto sears. Carter was arrested during a traffic stop in Coon Rapids later that day. Police found a .380-caliber pistol in the center console of his car.
Both defendants remain in custody.
The criminal complaint adds that Jackson and the victim were affiliated with rival street gangs. Carter allegedly used to be associated with the victim’s gang but switched to Jackson’s side.