Grand jury indicts man in 2023 Dinkytown double homicide
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A fatal double homicide shooting in Dinkytown last December led to a Hennepin County grand jury indicting a Minneapolis man accused of opening fire inside a tobacco store.
What we know
Two people died and another was wounded when a man shot them inside a Dinkytown tobacco store around 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2023.
That man, Maleek Jabril Conley, 26, of Minneapolis, is charged with four counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder, four counts of second-degree intentional murder, two counts of attempted second-degree intentional murder and one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
Police responded to the shooting in the 400 block of 14th Ave. SE in Minneapolis and found two dead men who were shot in the head and the neck.
READ MORE: Dinkytown double homicide unnerves U of M parents, students
A third victim, a store employee, was shot in the buttocks.
That victim told investigators the two men who were shot dead walked into the store with a group right before the shooting. People in that group then began arguing, then fist fighting.
It was during that time that a gunman walked into the store, and according to the criminal complaint, began firing at specific people in the group.
The employee was reportedly struck when the gunmen missed one of the men in the group.
Another store employee then hit the panic button, which locked the store, causing the gunman to shoot out the door's glass and crawl out.
The complaint states the shooter then left with four other males in a Kia, which was later found to be stolen.
Investigators then watched surveillance video footage that corroborated the surviving victim's claims.
Law enforcement also saw in the footage that Conley placed his bare hand on a glass counter, leaving behind fingerprints that would later be used to identify him.
The complaint states that police then found the getaway car outside an apartment building in the 2400 block of Elliot Avenue, where Conley lived.
Police also reviewed surveillance footage from the building that showed the five suspects arriving together less than 15 minutes after the shooting.
Investigators then found clothes that matched what was seen in the footage from the tobacco shop after executing a search warrant.
Gang violence
Investigators say they identified everyone in the Kia as members or associates of the "Crazi Boyz" a street gang from South Minneapolis, according to the complaint.
READ MORE: Minneapolis gang violence: Court docs shed light on Dinkytown, Uptown shootings
The victims killed, 24-year-old Michael Jamartre Sanders and 24-year-old Lamarr Bryson Haskell, are known to law enforcement to be members or associates of the Lowz street gang from North Minneapolis.
Investigators say they believe the murders stemmed from gang-related rivalries.
What they're saying
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement saying "This was a brutal crime. Mr. Conley fired at the victims at close range, killing two people and wounding two others. I am grateful for the service of the grand jury in moving us closer to appropriate accountability for Mr. Conley's shocking conduct."
What comes next
Conley made his first appearance on Friday afternoon and is set to have his omnibus hearing the morning of Dec. 9.
He remains in custody as of Friday afternoon.