Teen Found Dead In Street After Apparent Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis Police are investigating after a teen was found dead after he was fatal shot while playing with his friends.
Officers were dispatched around 11 p.m. Saturday to the 1700 block of Morgan Avenue North on a report of numerous shots fired.
Fourteen-year-old Quantell Braxton was found dead in the street.
His mother, Cindy Braxton, never thought when she said good night to her son, it would be the last time she would see him alive.
"This morning, I get this phone call. My baby's gone," said Cindy.
A group of teens who were with Quantell on Saturday night said they were having fun with water balloons when the gun fire erupted. The teens said they ran and when they looked back, Quantell was on the ground.
"He was just innocent, just playing games, hanging out with his friends," his mother said.
The teens said they heard more than a dozen gun shots. Some of the bullets hit a house more than 100 yards away from where Quantell was found.
"But why, why, why my son? What did he do? Because he don't do nothin' to nobody," said Cindy. "He was looking forward to playing football. He wanted to play football this year."
His mother said Quantell would have been a freshman at Cooper High School. He wanted to be a mechanic; he loved to fix things. Now she must explain to his 6-year-old sister Shay why Quantell will never come home to play with her again.
Cindy now just prays that someone will come forward with information that will lead police to a killer.
"Tell who did it and why. Help him, help us, because he didn't ask for this," she said.
At this time, there are no suspects in custody. Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the police department's Tips Line at (612) 692-8477.
NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Bruce Hagevik Reports
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Minneapolis city councilmember Don Samuels who lives in the neighborhood said it's time for the community to stand up and join forces with the people who are paid to protect and serve.
"Point out the house to the police, point out the kid to the police, point out the adult to the police, the car and the license plate number to the police," said Samuels. "Let's join hands together with the police that we pay to protect us. We can't pay them and then hobble them with our silence."
This was the 18th homicide of the year in Minneapolis.
