Father of accused shooter charged in death of 12-year-old London Bean in Minneapolis
Family identified the boy killed in a shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday as 12-year-old London Michael Bean, a sixth grader. (Supplied)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The father of the man accused of shooting and killing a 12-year-old boy in Minneapolis is now facing charges himself.
Forty-year-old Letterance Grady is charged with murder in the case, along with aiding an offender. His son, Jeremiah Grady, age 18, was arrested this week on murder charges for the death of 12-year-old London Bean.
Police and witnesses say, on September 8, Jeremiah Grady fired shots at Bean as the 12-year-old was involved in some type of fight with Grady's younger brother at 8th Avenue North and Aldrich Avenue North.
According to the charges, Jeremiah Grady came from the side of a home, wearing a mask and pointing a gun. He yelled "Yeah wassup" and fired multiple shots, hitting Bean twice. Bean was killed while bullets narrowly missed hitting other people who were near the scene.
After the shooting, Jeremiah Grady was on the run for weeks until his arrest on Monday.
In early interviews, police say Letterance Grady initially denied being at the home when the shooting occurred. However, officers said surveillance video shows Letterance driving his son to the scene before the shooting and from the scene after shots were fired. On top of that, police claim Letterance encouraged Jeremiah to defend his brother -- after previous fights.
The charges read:
"[Letterance Grady] is seen on video driving his son, Jeremiah Grady, to and from the scene of the shooting. In an interview the night of the shooting, he denied his role as the driver of the suspect vehicle and attempted to distance himself from the murder. Jeremiah Grady and his brother both told police in recorded interviews that on the day of the shooting, [Letterance Grady] encouraged them to retaliate against the victim's family by shooting. Defendant told Jeremiah Grady that he needed to retaliate for the bullying. Defendant told Jeremiah Grady to shoot out of the car."
In later interviews, police said Letterance admitted to driving Jeremiah to the scene and being there when shots were fired. However, he denied telling him to shoot.