Boy, 16, fatally shot man outside St. Paul tobacco shop in broad daylight, charges say
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 16-year-old boy is charged with second-degree murder in connection to a shooting outside a St. Paul tobacco store earlier this week.
According to the juvenile petition filed in Ramsey County, police were called to a strip mall early Tuesday afternoon off Maryland Avenue East, just southeast of Lake Phalen, on a report of a shooting.
The victim, 22-year-old Davion Lamonte-Paule Brown, was found suffering from several gunshot wounds in the tobacco store's entryway. He was soon pronounced dead at the scene.
The petition states surveillance videos in the area showed the boy riding up to the strip mall on his bike before dismounting and walking up to Brown, who was standing outside the tobacco store near two other people. Footage then showed the boy firing on Brown before riding off.
Officers soon spotted the suspect on foot less than a mile northeast of the store. After a brief chase, the boy was taken into custody, according to the petition. Police also found a 9mm handgun and a black mask "along the path" the boy had fled.
One of the witnesses told police that right before the shooting, Brown had bought him a pack of cigars since he didn't have his ID.
Another witness said he was in the midst of an argument with Brown about a woman when shots were fired.
The petition states the boy allegedly lied to police about his identity, which was later confirmed via fingerprints since there was an active warrant out for his arrest.
The boy will make his first court appearance on Friday afternoon. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office says it seeks to certify him "to stand trial as an adult."
WCCO-TV does not typically identify individuals unless they are charged as adults with crimes.
