On April 30, 2026, at approximately 3:06 A.M., Minneapolis Police officers were dispatched to a stabbing at [address omitted] North in Minneapolis, Hennepin County. Upon arrival, officers located an unconscious male, hereinafter Victim, lying face-up just inside the door. A female, Witness 1, was on the floor next to him holding a cloth on a wound that was located under his armpit on the left side of his chest. Officers performed lifesaving efforts on Victim until paramedics arrived and took over.
Despite these efforts, Victim was pronounced deceased at the scene at approximately 3:32 A.M. Officers spoke to Witness 1 and learned that she was Victim’s current girlfriend. Witness 1 told officers that she and Victim had just made food and were upstairs eating when Victim’s brother, JAVONTE DESHAWN SIMMS, Defendant herein, came upstairs and was upset at Victim for not cleaning up the kitchen. Victim did not argue, and Defendant left and went downstairs. Defendant came back upstairs and pushed Victim, calling him a “pussy”. There was an altercation between the two and afterwards Witness 1 saw Defendant had a bloody knife in his hands.
Witness 1 heard Victim say,“he just stabbed me” and then he calmly got up. Witness 1 then helped Victim down the stairs and applied pressure to his wound. Another female, Witness 2, who was also present at the time, told officers that she was upstairs when Defendant came up and started yelling at his girlfriend. Defendant then went into the room where Victim was, and she heard Defendant yelling at Victim about not picking up after himself. Defendant told Victim, “if you don’t start cleaning up after yourself, it’s going to be an issue between you and me.” Defendant then left and when he came back upstairs, he had a knife in his hand.
Witness 2 saw Defendant push Victim and then Victim push him back. Witness 2 then heard Victim say to Witness 1, “he just stabbed me.” In the basement, officers observed a large, rectangular panel that was propped up, creating a blind spot under the staircase. Officers found Defendant lying on the floor, facedown and parallel to the panel in an attempt to remain hidden. Defendant was taken into custody. In a post-Miranda, recorded statement, Defendant initially told officers multiple times that he did not remember much and that he had blacked out when it came to details about the stabbing.
Defendant admitted that he had come home and confronted Victim about cleaning up the house. Defendant claimed they began to fight. Defendant stated that after the fight he went downstairs and talked to his younger brother about the fight. Defendant admitted that he went back upstairs and before reaching the room where Victim was, he put a knife in his pocket. Defendant claimed there was another altercation during which he pulled out the knife and told Victim he was going to stab him. Defendant admitted to stabbing Victim and gave two different stories about how it happened.
