Charges: Father, son partying at downtown Minneapolis club ends with drug deal turned murder

A night three years ago that started with a father and son partying in downtown Minneapolis ended with the son shooting a man to death in his father’s car during a drug deal, according to criminal charges filed in Hennepin County District Court last week.

Kevin Eric Wilbert, 23, of Chicago was charged with second-degree murder in the 2021 death of Manuel Dandre Lott, 32, after Lott allegedly contacted Wilbert’s father to sell him marijuana. A few minutes later, Lott was dead in a car outside the club, which is one of multiple businesses on the 300 block of Washington Avenue N. and is not specified in the criminal complaint against Wilbert. He remains at large, and a nationwide warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Several witnesses that gave initial statements to police in 2021 were interviewed again this year ahead of charges being filed.

According to the court documents:

Minneapolis police were called to the 300 block of Washington Avenue N. on Aug. 22, 2021, where they found a dead man sitting in the driver’s seat of a car. The victim was later identified as Lott. He had been shot at close range in the head, another bullet was in Lott’s right thigh and a third bullet hole was found in the side of the car. Lott was carrying a gun in a holster. Even though he was seated in the car, Lott appeared to be wearing clothes for riding a motorcycle and police later found his motorcycle nearby.

Three witnesses spoke to police that night, including Wilbert’s father. He said that a group had gone to the club but his son told him he forgot his cell phone in his car. He said Wilbert left the club to go find his phone and came back 10 or 15 minutes later. That’s when a woman came into the club and told Wilbert’s father that someone was shot inside his car. When Wilbert’s dad went out to look, he immediately recognized the victim in his car by his street nickname “Boom.”

The woman who reported the shooting to Wilbert’s father told police that she had been in the car when the shooting happened but had no idea what led to it. There was no argument and she had her head down when the gun went off.

In statements provided this year, Wilbert’s father gave the same version of events but added that Lott had contacted him earlier in the day about selling him weed but after they didn’t meet early in the day they spoke on the phone again later and arranged to meet at the club. He said he tried to find his son but couldn’t and called 911 shortly thereafter.

During the investigation, police found a fingerprint on the front passenger door and a fingerprint on a cellphone in the trunk of the car that both matched Wilbert.

Wilbert has no criminal history in Minnesota.