Man charged in deadly drive-by shooting pleads guilty to aiding an offender
Amariaun Thornton (Credit: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office)
A man accused of killing a teen in 2024 has pleaded guilty and now faces up to 12.5 years in prison.
According to court documents, Amariaun Antonio Thomas Thornton, 22, pled guilty to aiding an offender, an accomplice after the fact.
As part of his guilty plea, six other charges, including second-degree murder, will be dismissed, as well as a separate case of being in possession of a gun without a serial number. Thornton will still face jail time with a range of 86 months (over seven years) to 150 months in prison (12.5 years) to be decided upon at his sentencing.
Thornton’s sentencing date is set for June 16.
Back in August 2024, Thornton was arrested for reportedly shooting at three people while driving past the intersection of 27th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis around 8 p.m. on July 7.
Court documents state that surveillance video showed a GMC Acadia approach the victims before the driver fired a pistol at them. It was determined by police that at least five guns had been fired in the shooting.
One of the bullets appeared to ricochet off the pavement, striking 18-year-old Javon Stevenson in the chest. Stevenson later died at the hospital.
Police said a license plate of the GMC captured on the video showed it was Thornton’s and said cellphone data put him at the location when the shooting occurred, leading to his arrest.