Teen Certified as Adult in Minneapolis April Murder Case

Oct 7

An 18-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting during an alleged drug deal earlier this year in Minneapolis.

According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, Darnail Arnez LaBrec is accused of working with two others to set up and carry out the killing of a man on April 19 at the Peregrine Apartments on West River Road North.

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Police were called to the apartment complex around 10:18 p.m. after reports of gunfire and a vehicle crashing into the underground parking entrance. Officers found the victim, 27-year-old Davione Daunte Charles Collins, dead in the driver’s seat of a silver Nissan Altima with a gunshot wound to his upper neck. The medical examiner later determined the bullet severed his vertebrae, killing him instantly.

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Investigators say the shooting involved LaBrec, then 17, and 20-year-old Jayce Nasir Cuff, along with another teenager. Surveillance video captured Collins vehicle pulling into the lot as two people approached the driver’s side window. Moments later, both extended their arms toward the car, appearing to fire. The car rolled forward and down the ramp as the two ran back into the building, where video confirmed LaBrec and Cuff reentered through the north door to meet the third participant.

Detectives reviewed phones recovered at the scene. Inside the victim’s vehicle, they found suspected marijuana packaged for sale, extra baggies and a digital scale. One phone linked to LaBrec contained photos of him holding a 9mm Glock with an illegal auto switch days before the shooting, as well as messages investigators interpreted as a plan to rob someone for drugs. Another phone linked to the third teenager showed messages coordinating the marijuana sale with the victim and directing him to the back parking lot of the Peregrine Apartments.

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Shell casings from two firearms — four 9mm and one 10mm — were recovered from the area where the suspects stood during the shooting. Witnesses told police they saw two males run back into the apartment building after the gunfire.

Prosecutors argue the evidence shows LaBrec and Cuff fired at least one round each, with one striking the victim in the neck. They say the third teenager facilitated the meeting, kept the building door open for their escape and met them immediately after the shots were fired.

LaBrec’s case was certified to adult court last week. On Monday, a Hennepin County judge approved a warrant for his transfer from the juvenile detention center to the adult jail. Bail has been set at $1 million. If convicted, LaBrec faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

The case against Cuff is ongoing. He is also charged with second-degree murder, remains in custody on $1 million bail and is due back in court on Oct. 20.

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