A 21-year-old Minneapolis man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting that happened nearly two years ago during what investigators say was a drug transaction gone wrong.
The shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2024, near 34th Avenue North between James and Knox Avenues in Minneapolis.
Donell Odell Jones, of Minneapolis, faces two counts of second-degree murder in Hennepin County District Court. He was arrested Thursday and is being held on $1 million bail.
According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis police officers responded to the area and found the victim, an adult male, lying on the ground next to his vehicle with gunshot wounds to his arm and abdomen. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses reported hearing shots and seeing two men near the victim’s car. The two men fled northbound up the alley between Knox and James Avenues. One was described as wearing a black sweatshirt with a white emblem or lettering and carrying a large duffel bag. The other was wearing a red sweatshirt and had been seen in the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle before running.
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Investigators recovered the victim’s cell phone in the alley. They examined the phone and found text messages showing that the victim had arranged to buy marijuana through a middleman. The texts show the victim requested the purchase at about 10:54 a.m., a meeting location was set for 35th and Knox at 11:08 a.m. and the victim texted that he had arrived at 11:22 a.m. The shooting happened about seven minutes later, the complaint states.
An autopsy revealed the victim suffered four gunshot wounds, including two to his abdomen that caused damage to his ribs, liver, kidney, diaphragm, intestines and abdominal aorta. He suffered massive bleeding in his chest cavity.
A fingerprint lifted from the passenger door of the victim’s vehicle matched Jones. The firearm used in the shooting was recovered during a traffic stop in August 2024. DNA testing completed in April 2026 confirmed Jones’ DNA was part of the mixture found on the pistol.
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The middleman who arranged the drug deal told investigators in 2026 that he had set up the transaction between the victim and Jones. He said Jones later told him that “s*** went left and shots were fired.” The middleman was confirmed to have been at work at the time of the shooting.
Jones was arrested on unrelated charges in July 2024 for possessing a firearm with an altered serial number and second-degree drug possession. He was arrested for the murder on April 30 and was in possession of a firearm at the time of that arrest.
The victim’s identity has not been released in the complaint.
If convicted of second-degree murder, Jones faces up to 40 years in prison. His first court appearance is set for May 4.
