Juvenile jailed in shooting death of onetime Patrick Henry student-athlete in Crystal

The teenager shot to death at a gas station in Crystal over the weekend was identified Monday as a former student-athlete at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis, and police announced they have arrested a juvenile.

Hae'veon Wesley, who lived in Brooklyn Park, was shot in the chest about 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the SuperAmerica on West Broadway just south of Bass Lake Road, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.

Early Monday afternoon, police said the suspect is in custody and being held in the juvenile detention center on suspicion of second-degree homicide. Police have not elaborated on the circumstances surrounding the death or identified the shooter.

However, Wesley's sister told the Star Tribune that his death was unintentional.

"We're at the police station now with the guy [who fired the fatal shot]," Deonnisty Wesley said early Monday afternoon. "It was an accident. It was one of his close friends." She said the friend was scheduled to graduate high school at the end of the coming school year.

Wesley was a senior last year at Patrick Henry, located on the city's North Side, and was a standout running back for the football team.

Early this year, there was a possibility of Wesley playing football this fall at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. However, Wesley is not a student at Crookston this semester.

In a video posted on YouTube by the university in February, assistant coach Sam Smith described Wesley as "a little quiet, a behind-the-scenes type of kid."

Smith noted that Wesley "comes from Minneapolis, in the inner city. He said he just wants to get out of that environment and get a chance at going to school and being able to play the game of football that he loves."

Deonnisty Wesley said her brother "loved his family and friends. Patrick Henry was the best school ever. ... A lot of people depended on him, and all he wanted to do was take his family and friends out of Minnesota."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482