On August 16, 2024, at approximately 5:45 P.M., police responded to the area of Maryland Avenue and Hazelwood Street in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. The caller, JNA, reported that his vehicle was struck by gunfire. JNA said he was driving with his mother and his girlfriend when he heard three to four gunshots, and his vehicle was struck. JNA reported that he saw a group of juveniles run southbound from Sana’s Market. No one in the vehicle was injured. Police located multiple spent casings near the parking lot of Sana’s. Police reviewed security footage from Sana’s, which showed a group of males walk out of the store.
They appeared to notice a black sedan driving westbound on Maryland Avenue. A male pulled out a firearm, aimed it westbound on Maryland, then fired multiple shots at the vehicle. JNA’s vehicle drove past the shooter as he began to fire. The males ran southbound and disappeared behind the buildings. The shooter was wearing a distinctive sweatshirt and shoes as well as a face covering. An officer recognized one of the males in the video as IMER, and the officer knows him to hang out and stay at an apartment at [ADDRESS REDACTED]. The officer observed IMER’s publicly viewable Facebook page.
IMER posted a video seven months earlier, which showed a male wearing the same sweatshirt as the shooter from that day’s incident. At approximately 10:18 P.M., the officer was on routine patrol in the area and drove to the Supornik address. The officer observed IMER in the front yard of the complex. The officer also observed one of the other males captured on video during the incident run back inside the unit and close the door. The officer directed IMER to come over and speak with him. Another male told him that he did not need to speak with the officer, and they walked away.
The officer parked behind IMER’s vehicle, and when IMER came back outside and got into the vehicle, the officer conducted an investigatory stop and confirmed IMER’s identity. The officer advised IMER why police were trying to identify him, and IMER denied everything the officer told him about the earlier shooting. While speaking with IMER, police observed a male wearing a white t-shirt walking in the back of the complex in an apparent attempt to get away. Police pursued him and identified him as DA’QUAN MALIK COX – [DOB REDACTED]. COX was wearing distinctive shoes that were similar to the shooting suspect.
COX was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant. COX was released from custody on August 18, 2024, before the case was assigned to investigators. In jail calls, COX talked about how police showed him a picture from 7 months earlier when he had his dreds (in reference to the Facebook photograph shown to COX the night he was arrested), how he had his hoody on, and that he did not have a facemask on. COX discussed deleting his Facebook and email accounts and getting a new phone. The apartment on Supornik Lane was discovered to be the residence of COX’s grandmother, who was deceased.
