Police Have Made 'Significant Strides' In Finding Killer Of Minneapolis H.S. Student
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis Police tell WCCO they've made "significant strides" in figuring out who killed a Minneapolis high school student in broad daylight.
It happened Wednesday afternoon near Logan and Lowry Avenue in North Minneapolis. Officers say someone came to the area and shot two people and took off. One victim survived. The other, 17-year-old Da'Vontae Wallace, died on the scene.
Stan Alleyne of North Minneapolis had to give his kids the toughest kind of talk Thursday.
"We just gently told him that we have really bad news and Da'Vontae was shot and killed," he said.
Da'Vontae Wallace was his son's best friend, like a third child to the family, he vacationed with them. A skilled cook he would surprise the family with homemade breakfast.
"He was someone I was proud of, he never met anyone that he was unpleasant to. People loved him and he was kind of a leader," Alleyne said.
The details aren't clear as to how his young life ended. Police say the suspects shot him and took off.
It was another young life taken amidst a tragic week.
Da'Vontae was a student at North High - leaving a community in mourning. They are not alone as two other neighborhood schools lost students this week too.
Alleyne spoke of the violence in general.
"You see shooting after shooting after shooting and you don't want your kids to even go outside, go to the park. It's not fair. It's not fair for anybody. It is really sad but that is where we are right now," Alleyne said.
So as he grieves one of the city's 65 homicides this year, he asks that people remember - each death was once an important – life, like Da'Vontae.
"The world won't be as good without him because he's one of those shining lights that would make the world better and I just want people to know that," he said.
Police say they don't have any arrests but have made major progress in solving the case.