MINNEAPOLIS — Murder charges have been filed against an 18-year-old in connection with a fatal shooting on Nov. 6 on the north side of Minneapolis.
In a criminal complaint, Hennepin County prosecutors detail the allegations against Johan Ronnell Lynch of Robbinsdale, who is charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Minneapolis police were sent to the corner of 33rd and Dupont Avenues North around 4:45 that evening, and upon arrival found a victim lying face down with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. The 20-year-old victim, later identified as Antonio Vernon Harper of Minneapolis, was pronounced dead at North Memorial Medical Center. The official cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
A witness said they saw three men hiding by a house looking at the victim and his two friends, then running toward a vehicle and driving around the corner when the shooting began.
One of the victim's friends told investigators that the three men were walking when three suspects jumped out of a blue sedan and opened fire. He said they began running into a backyard when gunshots rang out and the victim was hit. The other person who was with the victim reportedly told police the only reason the shooting would have happened would be "gang-related."
Minneapolis police crime scene personnel determined that three different 9mm handguns were used at the scene, and investigators found surveillance footage showing a man wearing a white jacket or sweatshirt and shooting in the alley. Video also indicated two different shooters fired from the sidewalk of 33rd Dupont Avenues North, one of whom was wearing light-colored pants and a dark jacket.
Using surveillance footage, homicide detectives were able to determine that the suspect vehicle was a blue Toyota Camry with stolen license plates.
On Nov. 8, officers spotted the suspect vehicle and attempted to stop it but the driver fled. Police found it nearby and also located two suspects hiding under a porch. The man identified as the driver of the stolen Camry was Johan Lynch.
Court documents say surveillance footage from the day of the fatal shooting was recovered from a McDonald's at 44th and Lyndale Avenue North, showing Lynch driving the suspect vehicle through the drive-thru around 3:45 p.m. He was wearing a dark jacket over a tan sweatsuit.
Investigators obtained Lynch's phone records and say mapping of the phone shows the defendant was near the murder scene at the time the shooting took place.
Prosecutors allege that Lynch is a member of the Lowz street gang, while the victim and his two associates are members of the rival Highs.
Lynch is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon.
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