Minneapolis man charged with aiding teens in robbery leading to their shooting

A Minneapolis man was charged Tuesday with aiding two teenage boys in a December robbery that resulted in both of the teens being shot, one fatally.

One of the robbery suspects, 15-year-old Santana Da'quan Jackson of Minneapolis, died of gunshot wounds in the Dec. 31 incident. His alleged partner, a 16-year-old boy, suffered a gunshot wound and survived.

Javeyon D. Tate, 21, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count each of first-degree riot and first-degree aggravated robbery. He is accused of knowing that the teens were armed and planned to rob a male they were meeting under the guise of buying sneakers, and of driving them to the scene.

Minneapolis police could not be immediately reached regarding the status of any possible investigation into the robbery victim or the second teen. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said it could not comment because it is "an active case with an on-going investigation."

According to the criminal complaint: Police were called to the area of 2400 Dupont Avenue N. about 4:30 p.m. for shots fired. They found Jackson lying in the alley, where he was pronounced dead.

Police were soon alerted to a car that had delivered the second teen to North Memorial Medical Center. They later learned from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office that Jackson possessed a wallet containing an ID for a male, who told police he bought and sold sneakers on social media.

The male told police that he had arrived at the scene of the shooting to sell a pair of sneakers to someone he met on Snapchat. He said the two teens approached with handguns pointed at him, went through his pockets and took his wallet and cellphone.

The two teens then went through the male's car and one threatened to kill him if he didn't give them the passcode to his cellphone. When the male said he didn't know the code, one of the teens allegedly said, "Just kill him," the charges said.

The two teens then ripped a gold necklace from the male's neck, at which point the male drew a handgun from his waistband and shot them.

Tate allegedly sped down the alley toward the group, stopped, picked up a handgun lying on the ground and appeared to start to shoot the male as the male fled in his car, according to the complaint.

Tate allegedly told police he was aware of the teens' plans and had seen them both with guns immediately before he drove them to meet the male, the charges said.