Seven Minneapolis men face federal charges for violent crimes, including carjacking, drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms and possession of a machine gun, reported near the intersection of Chicago and Franklin avenues in south Minneapolis.
7 Minneapolis men face federal charges for violent crimes
Charges include carjacking, firearms violations and drug trafficking near the intersection of Chicago and Franklin avenues.
February 6, 2022 at 1:35AM
The men were charged after an increase in gang activity was documented in mid-2021 in the area, including shootings and murders, according to court records cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota.
In June, Albert Walter Bratton III, 26, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime after police found him with a Glock 9 mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine and about 10 grams of crack cocaine, the attorney's office said.
Also in June, the attorney's office said, Marion Quintel Ware, 19, was charged with one count of aiding and abetting carjacking in connection with the violent carjacking of a 2007 Ford Focus.
Namiri Love Laquandas Tanner, 21, has been charged with possessing a machine gun after being found in July with a .40-caliber Glock pistol with a high-capacity magazine. Attached was a conversion device, commonly known as a "glock switch" or "auto-sear," designed to convert a semiautomatic weapon to shoot automatically by a single pull of the trigger. They are classified as machine guns under federal law.
Four men with previous felony convictions have been indicted on charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, which they are prohibited from possessing under federal law. Shamar Jamareus Scott, 21, and Anthony Shaquan Kemp Jr., 22, are charged with possessing a firearm as a felon. Devon Martell Harmon and Tiray Yvonne Dyson, both 38, are charged with possessing ammunition as a felon.
These cases are being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, the centerpiece of the Justice Department's violent crime reduction efforts.
“This was certainly not an outcome that we were hoping would materialize, and we know that today’s path forward does not provide a perfect solution,” interim OCM director Charlene Briner said Wednesday.
