Dedric Willis Charged With Murder In North Minneapolis Shooting
Originally published on May 3
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 26-year-old man is facing murder charges for allegedly shooting a man last week in north Minneapolis.
Dedric Willis, of Minneapolis, is charged in Hennepin County with second-degree murder, court documents show. If convicted of the charge, he could face up to 40 years in prison. He is currently in custody.
According to a criminal complaint, Willis fatally shot 37-year-old Theodore Collins Friday morning on the 2400 block of Emerson Avenue North, in the city's Hawthorne neighborhood.
Witnesses told police that Collins had arrived at a home to confront the mother of his children about an issue regarding one child and Willis. Not long after, Willis stepped in and began arguing with Collins.
At some point, Collins reportedly slapped Willis in the face, and Willis responded by pulling a gun from his waistband and shooting Collins. As Collins fell to the ground, Willis fired several shots into the air, the complaint states.
Moments later, two women drove up to the scene in an SUV, and one of them, whom investigators say was Collins' girlfriend, fried a gun towards Willis, who ran away.
Police spotted Willis as he was running, and officers arrested him. Investigators say Willis tossed a 9mm Smith and Wesson to the ground as he tried to flee the scene.
Initial police reports said that a woman was also arrested at the scene and a gun was recovered. However, no further details on this arrest were mentioned in the criminal complaint.
Officers found Collins gravely wounded at the scene. Emergency crews tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at North Memorial Health Hospital roughly an hour after the shooting was first reported.
Collins' death marked the 30th homicide in Minneapolis this year. According to the numbers, the city is currently on track to surpass the all-time record for homicides in a given year, which was set back in 1995, when the city earned the grim nickname "Murderapolis."
