Officials on Thursday identified a man who was shot to death earlier this week in Minneapolis as the person who was charged with stealing five French bulldog puppies from a home south of the Twin Cities and holding the pricey pooches for ransom.
Man shot, killed in Minneapolis was on run after being charged with seeking ransom for pricey pups
Officials have yet to say whether his death is tied to the dogs being stolen.
December 21, 2023 at 6:01PM
Mikiyel D. Patton, 37, of Minneapolis was shot multiple times early Tuesday evening in the 900 block of N. Newton Avenue and died at the scene, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
Police have announced no arrests or addressed a possible motive for the killing. Nor is there any immediate word on whether Patton's death is connected to the dogs being stolen.
Officers found Patton dead in an SUV, according to a search warrant affidavit police filed in court Thursday seeking permission to collect evidence from the vehicle.
Video surveillance from across the street showed the SUV arriving and parking, the affidavit read. Several gunshots and muzzle flashes were picked up on video coming from inside the vehicle, the court filing continued.
"The driver got out of the vehicle and fled on foot, and another male walked up to the front passenger door and shot as well," the affidavit read.
About two weeks ago, a warrant was issued last week for the arrest of Patton, who's charged in Goodhue County District Court with felony theft in connection with him abducting the dogs on Dec. 2 from a Cannon Falls home in the 700 block of Cannon Court.
The dogs, Platinum French bulldogs known as "Fluffies," are valued at $15,000 each, the criminal complaint read.
Cannon Falls Police Chief Jeff McCormick said Thursday that his department has no word on the fate of the puppies, whose well-being is tied to being near their mother.
The dogs are owned by Vanessa Taylor, the complaint read. Taylor disclosed on Facebook that her puppies weretwo weeks old at the time they were stolen, and Jennifer Miller was caring for them as a whelper.
According to the complaint:
Miller told police that Patton took the dogs as she slept. She said Patton was staying at her home because he didn't have anywhere else to go. In exchange, she accepted his offer to look after the pups.
She said she heard Patton get up about 9 a.m. and enter the puppies' room. Miller said she awoke about 90 minutes later and saw that Patton and the dogs were gone.
Taylor contacted police a day later and said Patton posted a photo on social media and wrote about "hustling for money," the complaint noted.
Taylor said her brother got Patton on the phone. Patton told him that he stole the dogs because Miller owes him $20,000 and would not turn over the puppies until he was paid.
Patton added that Taylor should stop sharing his photo online with others because he is a dangerous person.
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