A man was shot with a rifle by two attackers who fled with his suitcase, according to a murder complaint. The shooting happened around 11:45 p.m. April 27, 2025, near East 29th Street and Clinton Avenue South in Minneapolis.
Shawn Edward Bellanger, 24, of Minneapolis, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with intentional second-degree murder. The complaint alleges he acted alone or intentionally aided another person in causing the victim’s death.
Officers found the victim on the ground with gunshot wounds to his left hip and chest. He later died at a hospital. Investigators recovered two discharged .22-caliber cartridge cases and a live round at the scene, the complaint says.
Surveillance footage showed the victim pulling a suitcase before two men approached. Investigators identified one of them as Bellanger, who wore a royal blue hoodie. Near the grassy area between the street and the Midtown Greenway, Bellanger pulled out an AR-style rifle and shot the victim, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors allege Bellanger handed the rifle to his companion, who also shot the victim before returning the gun. Both men then left on foot with the suitcase. The complaint does not identify the second man by name.
Police recovered a .22-caliber AR-style firearm during a domestic assault call at a home on the 3500 block of Portland Avenue on Aug. 17, 2025. Ballistics testing linked that firearm to the cartridge cases from the homicide scene, according to the complaint.
Swabs from the rifle contained a mixture of DNA from two people, including a major male profile matching Bellanger with very strong statistical support, the complaint says. A witness familiar with Bellanger also identified him in surveillance footage.
During searches on Aug. 28, 2025, officers found ammunition and a rifle stock at the Portland Avenue home and a blue hoodie similar to the one in the footage at another address. Investigators also cited an Aug. 20 jail call in which Bellanger expressed concern about DNA and ballistics testing of the gun.
A judge issued an arrest warrant Sept. 21, 2026, with bail set at $1 million. The charge is an allegation and has not been proven in court.
