Man captured in Arizona more than a year after murder charge in Minneapolis

He was pulled over during a traffic stop on July 7 in eastern Arizona, identified as a murder defendant and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service.

August 2, 2023 at 10:24PM

Federal agents in Arizona have captured a Minneapolis man more than a year after he was charged with a fatal shooting outside a Minneapolis apartment building.

Dajohn Cortez Ramon Yarborough, 32, was pulled over during a traffic stop on July 7 in Navajo County in eastern Arizona, identified as a murder defendant and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service, said Stephen Fisher, spokesman for the federal agency.

The Sheriff's Office brought Yarborough back to Minnesota, and he appeared Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court, where he's charged with second-degree intentional murder and illegal weapons possession in connection with the death of Darrell L. Sims II, 27, of Brooklyn Park, on April 2, 2022.

Yarborough remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead a court appearance on Tuesday. Messages were left with his attorney seeking a reaction to the allegations.

Sims was shot in the chest shortly before 10 p.m. in the 2400 block of Elliot Avenue, according to the charges. He died about nine hours later at HCMC.

Prison records show that Yarborough has skipped out at least six times while on supervised release for various offenses, most recently in January 2022 after a drug conviction. Along with the murder case, his criminal history in Minnesota includes three convictions for drug dealing and one for assault.

According to the criminal complaint:

Witnesses told police a man approached Sims outside the apartment building and started shooting. Apartment security video showed the shooter running from the scene.

Home video surveillance sent by a sheriff's deputy to a confidential informant led to Yarborough being identified as the gunman.

The complaint did not offer a motive for the shooting.

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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