A St. Paul man is headed to prison for 30 years after a shooting outside a north Minneapolis church turned a 2021 funeral gathering into a crime scene. Kevin Mason, 31, received a 360-month sentence for killing 29-year-old Dontevius Catchings outside Shiloh Temple, closing a case that stretched across state lines and included a brief, high-profile mistaken jail release.
Conviction and Sentence
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said a jury found Mason guilty of second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony and illegal possession of a firearm. Prosecutors pushed for a lengthy prison term, arguing the violence tore through both Catchings’ family and the broader community.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the verdict held Mason accountable and reflected the harm caused by the shooting. According to KARE 11, a judge imposed a 360-month sentence during a hearing on Wednesday.
What Prosecutors Say Happened
Prosecutors said the violence broke out during a visitation at Shiloh Temple in June 2021, when an argument between Mason and Catchings inside the church moved into the parking lot. Witnesses and court filings describe a dispute over a gun, followed by multiple shots fired at Catchings as he walked away. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Those details came out in trial coverage and in court documents reviewed by KSTP.
Arrest, Accidental Release and Recapture
Authorities say Mason fled Minnesota after the shooting and was arrested in Indiana more than two years later as part of a multi-agency operation. The Marion County, Indiana, jail then mistakenly released him just two days after that arrest, triggering a manhunt led by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Marshals Service detailed both the capture and the clerical error that led to the accidental release in its reporting on the case, while CBS Minnesota reported that Mason was ultimately taken back into custody in South St. Paul before being returned to Minnesota.
Aftermath and Community Reaction
Bishop Richard Howell of Shiloh Temple told reporters he believed the conflict at the visitation grew out of a “rivalry” among some attendees, a detail noted in local coverage of the sentencing. Several other people at the event were briefly detained at the scene, according to court papers and reporting on the incident.
KARE 11 and local court documents outline the timeline of the case and the reaction from neighbors and community leaders.
With sentencing complete, the case closes a long and highly public chapter for Catchings’ family and for residents of north Minneapolis who have watched a series of violent incidents hit community gatherings. Court records and local officials say the shooting underscores ongoing concerns about guns and public safety at events meant to bring people together, not tear them apart.
