MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Two Minneapolis men have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the June 21 shooting death of an 18-year-old man near Lyndale Avenue South, according to the Minneapolis Police Department’s July 23 update.
Dashon Lavell Amos and Markez Patton, both 19, are accused of taking part in a shooting that killed Deonta Lashawn Young and injured another person in the 2100 block of Lyndale Avenue South.
According to KSTP’s reporting on the charges, both men are in custody. Patton faces two counts of second-degree murder, along with charges alleging possession of a machine gun and prohibited possession of a firearm. Amos faces two counts of second-degree murder and a charge alleging prohibited possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from a shooting reported at about 1:20 a.m. June 21. Minneapolis police previously said officers responding to the 2100 block of Lyndale Avenue South found Young with life-threatening gunshot wounds. He was taken by ambulance to Hennepin Healthcare, where he was pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts. A second man later arrived at North Memorial Medical Center in a private vehicle with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to MPD.
Police initially said a group was in a parking lot when another group began shooting at them. Investigators continued working to determine what led to the shooting.
Charging documents provide additional details about the circumstances investigators believe preceded the gunfire.
According to court records reviewed by KSTP, surveillance video showed a group of five masked people approaching Young and others. Four allegedly pulled out guns, while two were seen firing toward the group. Young was later seen running before collapsing.
Investigators also reported finding evidence that two guns had been fired. One appeared to be a pistol modified to allow automatic gunfire, according to the charging documents as described by KSTP.
Additional surveillance footage allegedly showed the same group entering a Jeep that traveled along Lyndale Avenue. The vehicle reportedly stopped after its occupants saw Young’s group, circled the block and then stopped again before the group approached the victims.
KSTP reported that investigators subsequently identified Amos and Patton after the two were arrested in separate incidents. Court documents allege Patton was one of the people who fired a gun during the shooting. The documents, according to KSTP, indicate Amos pointed a gun toward Young and others but do not state whether he fired.
MPD’s initial investigation also established that Young was killed and another person was wounded, but police did not identify a motive or publicly establish the sequence of events before the shooting at the time.
The case remains active, and additional arrests are possible. The Hennepin County Jail roster provides current custody information, though the county cautions that people may not appear immediately while being processed.
The charges are allegations, and Amos and Patton are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
