Minneapolis Man Charged After 16-year-old Shot in Neck
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 36-year-old Minneapolis man is charged with shooting a 16-year-old boy in the neck inside a north Minneapolis home last week.
The shooting left the teenager with life-altering injuries and uncertain prospects for recovery.
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According to the criminal complaint, the shooting happened on Dec. 18 at a residence in Minneapolis. The injured teen was brought to North Memorial Hospital in a gold Honda Odyssey van with a shattered rear window, arriving at about 4:37 p.m. Hospital staff alerted law enforcement to the gunshot wound victim, who was later determined to be 16 years old and suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck.
Investigators learned the teen had been shot inside a home and transported to the hospital by people who were present at the scene. A nearby resident told police he heard a muffled gunshot from inside another home and later saw three males carrying what he described as a lifeless body covered in blood out of the house and into a tan or gold minivan with a broken rear window. Surveillance footage later reviewed by investigators showed a vehicle consistent with that description dropping the teen off at the hospital.
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Once the teen was stabilized, investigators spoke with him. Because of his injuries, he was unable to speak and communicated through messaging. The teen told investigators he had been sitting on a couch inside the home when Demetris Lockheart produced a firearm and pointed it at him. The teen said he pushed the gun away, but Lockheart raised it again, placed it close to the teen’s neck and pulled the trigger. The teen told investigators he did not know why he was shot and said he knew the firearm was loaded with a round in the chamber.
After the shooting, the teen said another adult male in the residence provided aid, but Lockheart walked away and did not assist. The teen reported there was a delay of several minutes before he was moved to the van to be transported to the hospital and said the people inside the home argued about what to do with him after he was shot.
The complaint states Lockheart denied being inside the residence at the time of the shooting. Investigators say multiple witnesses placed him in the home when the gun was fired.
Prosecutors say the extent of the teen’s injuries is still not fully known, noting that the severity of the neck wound makes it unclear whether the teen will ever be able to speak again.
Lockheart is charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. He remains held in the Hennepin County Jail. Bail is set at $150,000 with conditions that include no contact with the victim, no possession of weapons and electronic home monitoring if released.
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