Suspect pleads guilty in Edina strip mall shooting

EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Kayvon Julian-Breaun Madison, 23, has pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder for a 2023 shooting that occurred in a parking lot near the Galleria shopping mall in Edina.

Edina strip mall shooting

Dig deeper:

Prosecutors said Monday that Madison has entered a straight guilty plea, a plea without a plea agreement, to a count of second-degree murder.

CORRECTION: The Hennepin County Attorney's Office initially said Madison had accepted a 25-year sentence in the shooting. On Tuesday morning, the office issued a correction, stating no sentence length had not been agreed upon. Instead, the sentence will be determined by a judge at a hearing in April.

Galleria shooting charges

The backstory:

On Dec. 2, 2023, Edina Police responded to a shooting around 9 p.m. in the parking lot off West 69th Street at France Avenue, near the Galleria and just south of Southdale Center.

At the scene, officers found the victim, later identified as 23-year-old Darien Roberson of St. Paul, who had been shot. Roberson later died at the scene.

Police say Madison was among the people who called 911 after the shooting.

According to the charges, Madison told 911 dispatch that he had shot someone who he said "came at me."

However, speaking with witnesses, officers learned Madison and Roberson were both part of a group at a restaurant for a birthday dinner. Police said they weren't close friends and hadn't spoken since 2021, after a disagreement over the death of a friend of Roberson's.

According to the charges, police reviewed security video that didn't match up with Madison's version of events. Police said the video showed Madison and Roberson leaving the restaurant in a group. 

After taking some photos, officers say Roberson walked away, appearing to leave, but Madison moved towards him and appeared to say something.

The charges state that a witness told investigators that Madison told Roberson that if Roberson's friend "had made better life choices, he would still be alive."

According to the charges, Roberson's friend had died of an overdose.

From that point, police say the confrontation escalated, with each man taking steps towards the other. A witness told police that Roberson said he didn't want to talk about it anymore but "[Madison] kept pushing the issue."

Then, the confrontation turned violent. The charges detail: "The video shows that at one point during the dispute [Madison] raised his hand and put his finger in [Roberson's face]. In response, [Roberson] slapped [Madison's] hand away and took a step away from [Madison]. [Madison] then pulled out a gun and shot [Roberson] five times. Upon being shot, [Madison] immediately fell to the ground."

Police say after the shooting, witnesses surrounded and restrained Madison. Roberson was struck in the chest, cheek, neck, back, and shoulder.