Minneapolis, MN
Parents of murdered Minneapolis man call decision to drop charges a
MINNEAPOLIS — The parents of a Minneapolis shooting victim say releasing the man charged with their son’s murder is a slap in the face.
Laleta and Derek McClendon say they feel betrayed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Deveall McClendon was killed last year near the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
“I’m hurt,” Derek said. “My baby is gone. [Laleta’s] child is gone.”
Police say McClendon was shot six times while driving, with the bullets coming from another vehicle.
A man was charged with the murder, and the McClendons say they were given the impression there was strong evidence against him.
MORE NEWS: Man found shot dead in south Minneapolis, police find gun nearby
The charges were dropped last month though, and the suspect walked free.
“It’s devastating,” Laleta said. “It’s crushing.”
In charging documents, prosecutors said the suspect’s Snapchat location “moved identically with the [shooter’s car’s] travels…as is seen on surveillance video.”
But the defense claimed Snapchat data showed the closest he ever got was half a mile away.
Prosecutors also say there’s video of the suspect holding the murder weapon.
His lawyers argued the video doesn’t connect him to the McClendon shooting, and they say on top of that, his DNA wasn’t found in the shooter’s car either.
Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges because of “insufficient evidence…to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
McClendon’s parents believe strongly he wasn’t involved in anything that would’ve led to him being targeted, and the shooting was random.
“Deveall wasn’t that type of clubbing person,” Laleta said. “Didn’t do drugs, didn’t party, didn’t smoke.”
Derek says Deveall “wasn’t that kid that was going to give you problems.”
They feel more needs to be done with their son’s case.
“I’m not just going to fold and allow this to be brushed off like this,” Laleta said. “Something has to be done. Somebody did it.”
READ MORE: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says department would “know zero” about automatic gunfire without ShotSpotter
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office responded to this story with a statement that said, “Mr. McClendon’s family is experiencing unimaginable pain and we are deeply sorry for their loss. We have had close contact with them throughout this process and will continue to as the investigation into this senseless tragedy continues. We continue to work with MPD to build sufficient evidence to hold anyone involved in this murder accountable for their actions.”
WCCO reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department asking for an update on the investigation but didn’t immediately hear back.
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.
Copyright
© 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Minneapolis, MN
‘The power of truth:’ How high school students reported on the ICE surge in their front yard
Residents of a northeast Minneapolis apartment were seen evacuating the building after fire crews were called to the scene on Friday morning.
This all happened around 3 a.m. near 5th Street and 7th Avenue Northeast near Saint Anthony Park.
A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew says that multiple fire crews were on scene and several residents were seen evacuating.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Minneapolis Fire for more information.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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