Minneapolis, MN
Charges unsealed against alleged getaway driver for man who killed 2 in Dinkytown tobacco shop
Prosecutors on Tuesday made public charges filed six months ago against a man police are trying to find who allegedly was the getaway driver for the gunman accused of killing two people in a Dinkytown tobacco shop.
Taynard Town Deshawn Godsey, 26, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with four counts of aiding an offender after the fact, in connection with the suspected gang-related shooting at Royal Cigar Tobacco on Dec. 3 that also wounded a store clerk with a bullet intended for another.
The men who died were identified as Bryson Lamarr Haskell and Jamartre Michael Sanders, both 24 and from Minneapolis.
The alleged shooter, 26-year-old Maleek Jabril Conley, of Minneapolis, was arrested in Chicago in March on two charges each of second-degree murder and attempted murder. He remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail and has a court hearing scheduled for June 28.
The court kept the criminal complaint against Godsey, filed five days after the killings, under wraps out of law enforcement’s concern that he would evade arrest if he knew he had been charged. The complaint was unsealed soon after police turned to social media Friday for help finding Godsey.
Godsey is “believed to be in Minnesota or Arizona,” a police Facebook posting read. “He has worked as a model in the past and may be using a fake name or ID.”
Gunfire erupted in the shop after a brawl broke out between two groups of people in the tiny, family-owned smoke shop at SE. 4th Street and 14th Avenue near the University of Minnesota about 2:15 a.m., before a posted closing time of 3 a.m. Video depicted a melee involving at least seven men, with two of them exchanging punches on the floor as products spilled from shelves.
According to the charges against Godsey and Conley:
Haskell and Sanders were shot in the head and neck several times while the store clerk was struck in the buttocks by a stray bullet. The clerk told police the victims were with one of the groups that got into an argument and a fistfight that he and other employees tried to stop. But Conley entered the store and unleashed a barrage of semiautomatic gunfire.
Video corroborated the clerk’s account and revealed that Conley fired directly at Haskell and Sanders while standing 3 feet away. Conley also fired at least twice at a fourth victim from close range but missed, wounding the clerk.
Godsey was involved in the fistfight and was standing near Conley as the gunfire erupted.
A store employee pressed a panic button that locked everyone inside. When Conley realized this, he shot out a glass door and crawled through the metal frame, followed by four accomplices. All five men ran to a stolen Kia and fled the scene with Godsey behind the wheel.
The stolen Kia was found outside a suspect’s apartment building in the 2400 block of Elliot Avenue. Surveillance video from the apartment showed all five men at the site 15 minutes after the shooting.
Three among the five are known members of a south Minneapolis street gang. Investigators say that Haskell and Sanders were associated with a north Minneapolis street gang, and they believe the killings stemmed from a rivalry.
Police described Godsey as black, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds. They said he has light brown hair styled in short dreadlocks, freckles on his face, and both of his ears are pierced. He has a birthmark on his right arm and multiple tattoos on his left forearm and upper arm, police added.
“If you see Taynard, call 911 immediately and DO NOT approach him,” the posting continued. Anyone with information about Godsey’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact police through policetips@minneapolismn.gov or by calling 612-673-5845. Tips can also be given to CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous, and information leading to Godsey’s arrest may result in a reward.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis City Council member Aisha Chughtai taking mental health leave for a month
Minneapolis City Council member Aisha Chughtai said Monday she will be taking a monthlong leave to seek outpatient care for her mental health.
Chughtai said her “office will remain open to continue serving the people of Ward 10,” but she will miss the council meeting on July 16. She plans to return before the July 30 meeting.
“I love representing the people of this Ward. It’s the greatest honor of my life. And that’s why I feel obligated to do so to the best of my abilities,” Chughtai said in a statement. “Because of the current state of my mental health, I fear falling short of that obligation. That’s why I’m briefly stepping back. I fully expect to return energized and ready to give more than ever for the people of Ward 10 and everyone in the city.”
In her statement, Chughtai cited “a high-stakes election … several mass shootings, and a federal occupation” as recent stressors on her mental health.
Chughtai said she has notified the council and Mayor Jacob Frey, and encouraged Ward 10 residents to contact her office via email with any questions or concerns.
“I know that when I return, I’ll be back stronger, ready to form deeper partnerships, and ready to fight even harder for our neighbors,” she said.
Chughtai was first elected in 2021 to represent Ward 10, which includes the south Minneapolis neighborhoods of East Bde Maka Ska, East Isles, Lowry Hill East, South Uptown and Whittier.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
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One person is dead and eight others are hurt in a string of weekend shootings across Minneapolis.
Police say the first shooting occurred Friday around 5 p.m. near North Humboldt and 26th avenues. A man was outside of his home when shots rang out, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds.
Around 9:35 p.m. Friday, two men were shot outside in the area of north Lowry and Logan avenues.
Just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a man was found shot in an alley near Mortimer’s Bar and Restaurant off South Lyndale and Franklin avenues. He told police he was outside walking when he was hit.
Just before 12:50 a.m. Saturday, police say a man outside was shot near North Penn Avenue, just north of Highway 55, by someone driving by.
Around 1:50 a.m. Saturday, a man suffering from gunshot wounds showed up at Hennepin Healthcare, with police later determining he was shot in the area of North Lyndale and 45th avenues.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, a man showed up to Children’s Minneapolis hospital with a gunshot wound he said occurred when he was asleep inside his vehicle.
On Sunday around 1 a.m., a man was found laying on the ground near Bloomington Avenue and East 24th Street. He was brought to Hennepin Healthcare where he later died. Police say investigators “located evidence of gunfire, including a firearm recovered next to the man who died.”
On Sunday just before 1:30 a.m., a 15-year-old girl was shot in the area of Hennepin and Laurel avenues in downtown. Two boys, ages 14 and 15, were soon arrested in connection to the shooting.
And just before 1:50 a.m. Sunday, a man was found shot inside a business off Northeast Lowry Avenue and Fourth Street Northeast. Investigators believe the shooting began as an altercation in the business’s parking lot.
With the exception of the shooting of the 15-year-old girl, police say no arrests have been made in any of the cases. All surviving victims have injuries described by police as non-life threatening.
Anyone with information on any of these shootings can submit an anonymous tip online to Crime Stoppers, or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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