Father of young adult who allegedly shot 12-year-old in September charged with murder

The father of the 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting 12-year-old London Michael Bean in September was charged with murder Friday.

Letterance Demont Grady, 40, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder with intent with the statute of liability for crimes of another — both intentional and reasonably foreseeable — and one count of felony aiding an offender to avoid arrest by harboring or concealing, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday afternoon. He has been in custody at the Hennepin County Jail since Thursday.

Shortly before 4 p.m. on Sept. 8, Minneapolis police responded to a shooting near North Aldrich and Eighth avenues. At the scene, they found Bean with multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the hospital about an hour later. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.

According to criminal complaints, witnesses said that there was a physical fight between Bean and 18-year-old Jeremiah Grady’s younger brother prior to the shooting. Suddenly, Jeremiah Grady, wearing a mask and dressed all in black, came from the back of the property and pointed a gun, yelling "Yeah! Wassup!" People ran and Jeremiah Grady began to shoot; he shot Bean twice, according to court filings.

A second young girl was sitting in the back of her grandfather’s car when she saw Bean and Jeremiah Grady’s brother fighting before Jeremiah Grady ran up and fired a gun, a complaint says. She yelled for her grandpa to drive away and Jeremiah Grady fired the handgun at her. She wasn’t hit by any bullets but police found two bullet holes in the rear door and window glass shattered where the girl was sitting.

Police filed a warrant for Jeremiah Grady’s arrest on Sept. 16, and he was taken into custody Monday. He is charged with two counts of second-degree murder with intent and has a hearing on Nov. 30. He remains in custody.

Soon after the shooting, Letterance Grady denied to officers that he was on-site during the shooting and only knew because the "children’s mother told him," court documents state. He said just before the incident, Jeremiah Grady had asked to borrow his car to go to his mother’s house. He also said he was informed that people outside his home had "jumped on" Jeremiah Grady’s siblings the day prior and that there was "bullying" and an "ongoing feud."

Surveillance video showed Letterance Grady driving his son to and from the scene.

During interviews with police, Jeremiah Grady and his brother said that Letterance had encouraged them to retaliate for the bullying against Bean’s family with gun violence, a complaint says, and that he told Jeremiah Grady to shoot from the car.

When arrested Thursday, Letterance Grady admitted to police that his son had texted him on the day of the shooting, writing that the kids would get "jumped," court records state. While driving back to their home on Sept. 18, Jeremiah’s younger brother called to say his younger sibling was "getting jumped."

Letterance Grady said he drove past the front of the house and saw people outside and parked in the lot behind the house and Jeremiah Grady got out and ran around to the front, filings state. Letterance Grady said he heard gunshots and that he and his son left the scene in his truck, but denied that he told Jeremiah to shoot.

Community activist K.G. Wilson, whose 6-year-old granddaughter was killed in May, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that this is another example of how the message of ‘guns down’ and stopping violence has to start at home with parents.

"Be positive examples because, as you can see, here we go again this month and in this story, another bad example of a father doing something that misleads a child," Wilson said.

Letterance Grady’s first appearance is Monday. He remains in custody and his bail is set at $1 million.

Jay Kolls contributed to this report.