Minneapolis, MN
Mother of 21-year-old man killed in downtown Minneapolis bar shooting seeks answers
Police in Minneapolis are still searching for at least one suspect in the shooting that killed a man and injured three other people inside a bar on Tuesday night.
Ericka Wheeler, the mother of the man killed, is also searching for answers. She shared her grief and a call to action with WCCO.
“He always had that smile,” Ericka Wheeler said of her son, 21-year-old DaMarco Fletcher, Jr., who died in the shooting.
She said Fletcher had a personality.
“Vibrant smile, lights up a room. He’s been having a big smile all of his life,” she said.
According to Wheeler, Fletcher fought from day one to prove he deserved all that life had to give.
“He beat odds. He was a preemie. He came in the world fighting. He was my everything,” she said.
Fletcher was a 2022 graduate of Armstrong High School. He excelled academically and athletically.
“When I say he was a natural talent, that’s wrestling, basketball and football,” Wheeler said.
Fletcher was focused on helping others.
“He was a PCA worker. He worked for the state doing PCA, and he did respite care,” Wheeler said.
She added that her son was also studying to get his real estate license.
“I’m just broken,” Wheeler said.
Fletcher was shot multiple times inside the bar. He died at the scene.
“I need the establishment to be held accountable, as well as the person who took my son’s life,” Wheeler said. “They should have had more security, better security, and they should have did a better job.”
She wants to know how a gun got inside the club and the person who pulled the trigger, to do the right thing.
“I want the person who did this to turn themselves in,” Wheeler said.
Gloria Brown, Fletcher’s aunt, said he tried “so hard” not to be a statistic.
“If you said he couldn’t do it, he was going to push himself until he did it,” Brown said.
She added that Fletcher was one of a kind and set the standard for all his friends.
“He didn’t live with limitations because he always believed that he could do well. He believed he could set goals and he could achieve them, and he did just,” Brown said.
Wheeler said detectives told her that her son was not the aggressor or instigator. She hopes those who know the shooter will encourage him to turn himself in so they can begin to heal.
Doors Open Minneapolis is growing to become one of the more anticipated events of the and this weekend is your chance to get in on the action.
From 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, participants can choose venues they’d like to explore and get a closer look at areas typically closed off to the public.
Details on the event can be found online.
San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) Minneapolis; Sunday,…
San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference)
Minneapolis; Sunday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Spurs -4.5; over/under is 215.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Spurs lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The San Antonio Spurs visit the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference second round with a 2-1 lead in the series. The Spurs won the last meeting 115-108 on Saturday, led by 39 points from Victor Wembanyama. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 32.
The Timberwolves are 31-21 against Western Conference opponents. Minnesota is sixth in the Western Conference with 33.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Rudy Gobert averaging 7.5.
The Spurs are 36-16 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio is fourth in the Western Conference with 16.3 fast break points per game led by Julian Champagnie averaging 3.0.
The Timberwolves’ 13.8 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.8 more made shots on average than the 13.0 per game the Spurs allow. The Spurs average 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Timberwolves allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Julius Randle is averaging 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves. Naz Reid is averaging 1.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Wembanyama is averaging 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks for the Spurs. De’Aaron Fox is averaging 18.6 points and 6.2 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 111.1 points, 47.3 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 6.1 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.1 points per game.
Spurs: 7-3, averaging 116.9 points, 46.5 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 7.7 steals and 7.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.5 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo: out for season (leg).
Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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