A brutal daylight murder in a north Minneapolis neighborhood has left a community reeling and authorities on the hunt for the alleged gunman. Michael Tiwain Garrett, a 22-year-old Minneapolis resident, has been charged with second-degree murder following the shooting of 32-year-old Di’Jon Chase Legore-Banks on May 16, near the 1100 block of Morgan Avenue North, according to court documents cited by FOX 9. The fatal altercation stemmed from a dispute over finances between two women that escalated into a larger fight, court records indicate.
In the wake of the chaos, charges state that Garrett, identified as the son of one of the women engaged in the initial quarrel, allegedly exited his car and opened fire on Legore-Banks who was pronounced dead at the hospital after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds including eight to the head, chest, torso, and legs, this information according to charges filed by Hennepin County prosecutors and confirmed by KSTP. Witnesses recall that prior to the shooting, Garrett was seen waiting in his vehicle before stepping out and approaching the victim as the argument persisted, he began shooting toward the victim.
Law enforcement, bolstered by video evidence recovered from sources including a Facebook livestream, strove to piece together the timeline leading up to the tragic event; the footage allegedly shows Garrett advancing on Legore-Banks with a gun in hand. Subsequent to the fatal shooting, Garrett is believed to have fled Minnesota and is currently not in custody.
Garrett's criminal history includes a past juvenile adjudication for first-degree burglary, which under the law bars him from firearm possession, yet the complaint asserts that he was the one who pulled the trigger firing at Legore-Banks resulting in his death, and now, charged via warrant, his whereabouts remain unknown, while the Hennepin County prosecutors and Minneapolis police department are continuing their investigation in collaboration to locate and apprehend the suspect.
