A 21-year-old Minneapolis man took part in a deadly shooting near North High School Stadium that left one man dead and another wounded, prosecutors say.
Officers responded to the area near North High School Stadium in Minneapolis at about 5:20 p.m. on May 21 after a 911 caller reported a man down and three suspects fleeing the scene in a black SUV. Police soon learned a second victim had traveled to a nearby gas station after being shot. Another 911 call reported that the suspect vehicle crashed at Plymouth Avenue North and Irving Avenue North, where several masked suspects abandoned the SUV and fled on foot.
Deandre Antiown Depratto Jr., 21, faces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder with intent and attempted second-degree murder with intent in Hennepin County District Court.
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According to the complaint, officers found the first victim on the ground with a gunshot wound to the torso on 18th Avenue North between Irving and Girard Avenue. Officers and paramedics attempted lifesaving measures, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
A civilian witness told police they saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt approach the victim with a gun and fire multiple shots, describing the gunfire as coming in bursts and suggesting the weapon may have been modified to fire automatically. The witness did not see the victim with a firearm.
Police found the second victim, who had been shot in the leg outside a residence. The victim recalled seeing young males running in front of his vehicle after being shot but did not see anyone with a gun. He was transported to a hospital for treatment. Investigators recovered 12 discharged 9mm cartridge casings in the street near the scene but found no evidence that either victim fired a weapon.
Officers found a black Saturn Vue abandoned at the crash scene. Inside, they recovered documents in another suspect’s name and DNA evidence linking that person to the vehicle. Surveillance footage from the area showed three masked male suspects, two in black hooded sweatshirts and one in a light blue hoodie, walking toward the area where the first victim was found.
Two suspects, each holding a handgun, ran toward the victim’s location, while the third remained in the intersection. After the shooting, all three ran back to the Saturn Vue and fled in tandem with a dark Chevrolet sedan.
Investigators later identified a phone number associated with Depratto Jr. in the area at the time of the homicide. The number was linked to a Venmo account in his name and to a known associate whose DNA and fingerprints were also found in the Saturn. Police found that a gray 2008 Chevrolet Malibu registered to Depratto Jr. has the same body style as the Chevrolet sedan seen fleeing the scene. A witness identified the Chevrolet on surveillance video as Depratto Jr.’s vehicle and said the vehicle had been “put up” in a garage in north Minneapolis after the shooting.
The charges were filed Wednesday, August 26.
About This Charge
In Minnesota, homicide charges fall under three degrees: § 609.185 (first-degree murder), § 609.19 (second-degree murder) and § 609.195 (third-degree murder). First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence; second-degree convictions are presumptive 12 to 40 years; third-degree up to 25 years. The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission publishes guideline ranges that judges follow except where specific aggravating or mitigating factors are on the record.
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Jurisdictional Context
Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous jurisdiction. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions across Minneapolis and 45 surrounding cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
