Minneapolis Teen to Stand Trial as Adult in two 2024 homicide cases

Aug 12

A Minneapolis teen has been certified to stand trial as an adult in two separate 2024 homicides.

One alleged homicide left a father of two dead during an armed robbery attempt in front of his children.

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According to a criminal complaint, 17-year-old Ashawn Kyrio Willis was ordered last week to face adult charges in the March 15, 2024 shooting of 30-year-old Aron Jabari Bell-Bey outside an apartment building near 4100 Chicago Avenue.

Bell-Bey was in the passenger seat of his girlfriend’s car with their two young children in the backseat when four males approached during a planned marijuana sale. Investigators say one of the males inspected the marijuana before another, identified as Willis, pulled a gun, pressed it to Bell-Bey’s jaw and demanded his belongings before shooting him in the face.

Surveillance video from across the street reportedly captured the shooting and the group running away. A witness who was with the group told police he knew the shooter as “Ashawn” and identified Willis from still images, as did Bell-Bey’s girlfriend. Investigators say video also showed Willis running from the scene carrying what appeared to be a firearm. Bell-Bey remained hospitalized for nearly two months until May 31, 2024, when he died from his injuries.

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Willis was also certified as an adult and charged in the November 25, 2024 killing of a man outside the Full Stop gas station at 1818 Lowry Avenue North. Surveillance video shows Willis, wearing a black hoodie with a gold design and a white mask, approach 23-year-old Hussanee Abdul-Malik Harris, pistol-whip him, and then shoot him in the back as he tried to run inside the store.

Police say Willis arrived at the scene in a Ford SUV driven by co-defendant Martaveis Lamier Roberts, who had been in a dispute with the victim over drug sales. Roberts allegedly left and returned with Willis minutes before the shooting, then stood nearby as it happened. Both men left the area together afterward.

Roberts has been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder for his role in the shooting.

Bail for Willis for in one case is set at $1 million and 1.5 million in the other case. If convicted of either second-degree murder charge, Willis faces up to 40-years in prison. Willis is expected to make his next court appearance in September. Prosecutors have not stated whether they intend to seek an aggravated sentence if Willis is convicted.

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