2 teens charged with murder in north Minneapolis shooting during apparent drug deal

Two 17-year-old boys shot and killed a man inside a parked car on Minneapolis' North Side last month during a drug deal caught on surveillance video, according to murder charges.

Jordan Deontre McFarland and Monte Dondada Wise, of Minneapolis, were charged in Hennepin County District Court with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in connection with the May 8 killing of 27-year-old Derrell Deshawn Freeman.

Prosecutors filed a motion indicating their intention to charge both juveniles as adults in the case. McFarland remains jailed at the Juvenile Detention Center in downtown Minneapolis, while Wise has an active warrant out for his arrest.

"This appears to be another senseless, tragic case of gun violence," Nick Kimball, spokesman with the attorney's office, said in a statement. "We are grateful to law enforcement for a swift investigation and arrest. Now we begin the court process to hold those responsible legally accountable for their actions."

On May 8, Minneapolis police were called to the 1600 block of Hillside Avenue N. around 5 p.m., where they found Freeman unresponsive and covered in blood, sitting in the back of a blue Chevrolet Malibu with the rear window blown out. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

His sister told investigators that she drove Freeman to the Jordan neighborhood "to sell some weed" to a couple of guys who requested the meeting in an alley near Hillside and N. Illion Avenue, according to the criminal complaint. But when they arrived, two teenagers armed with guns slid into the back seat.

Freeman's sister recalled feeling uneasy as the men shared a marijuana joint — and exited the car. A minor disagreement suddenly escalated to violence, as the teens pulled guns from their waistbands. McFarland fired a single round at Freeman, causing him to dive into the backseat and struggle with the boys, charges say. Multiple shots were fired before the teens got out of the car.

Wise unloaded a final flurry of rounds into the car as he and McFarland ran away in the same direction. The shooting took place less than a block from Wise's house.

Surveillance footage caught the encounter from multiple angles, including when McFarland lost a distinct-looking right shoe in the intersection while attempting to escape. Forensic testing later matched his DNA with the sneaker.

During a police interview, McFarland admitted that he and Wise approached the car to buy marijuana, but claimed that Freeman fired first. He denied having a gun that day despite video evidence proving otherwise. McFarland also acknowledged being shot in the right leg amid the skirmish, which medical records later confirmed.

His assigned public defender, Kathryn Cima, declined to comment when reached by phone.

The teen was on supervised probation for a previous felony firearm violation at the time of the murder, stemming from an arrest last fall where officers found him riding in a carjacked vehicle with a loaded 9mm pistol within reach.

In that case, McFarland was offered a continuance if he successfully completed 30 days of electronic home monitoring, attended a cognitive skills class and remained law abiding through April 1, 2023. His probation was later extended through September and, on May 12 — four days after Freeman's death — a warrant was issued because he absconded.

McFarland has two other pending weapons-related cases, including one involving a shooting last summer at a C-Line bus stop on the Northside. Police most recently arrested him on May 22, when he fled from a traffic stop in Robbinsdale. Officers tracked him to North Memorial Health Hospital, where they found a pistol modified with a switch, making it a fully automatic weapon, laying in the bushes.