Citing lack of evidence, prosecutors dismiss case against man previously charged for Minneapolis murder
FILE - Police closed a section of Lyndale Avenue during an investigation early on the morning of Feb. 6, 2023. (KSTP/Jeff Ernewein).
Court documents show prosecutors have dismissed their case against a man who was charged with murder, saying they don’t currently have enough evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt he did the crime.
A motion filed in Hennepin County District Court on Tuesday shows the charge of second-degree murder filed against Clyde Mack Lee III has been dismissed.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Lee was formally charged in November 2023 for the death of 25-year-old Deveall La Ray McClendon, who was fatally shot on Feb. 6 that same year. McClendon died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
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Officers with the Minneapolis Police Department were called to the intersection of Hennepin/Lyndale Avenue South at Vineland Place at around 1:15 a.m. that day for a report of a crash.
When officers arrived, they found the driver of one car unresponsive and suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. He was hospitalized but died.
Investigators say that evidence of gunfire was found at Hennepin Avenue South and Vineland Place, as well as on the vehicle that was driven by the victim. They believe the victim drove his vehicle from the intersection with Dunwoody Boulevard to Vineland Place before crashing.
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Witnesses also reported seeing another vehicle leave the area “at a high rate of speed.”
Police added the two men who were in the other vehicle involved in the crash weren’t injured.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, “At this point, there is insufficient evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. But the Minneapolis police investigation into this senseless tragedy continues and we will do everything we can to hold the person who murdered Mr. McClendon accountable.”
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.