Minneapolis police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Kevin Beasley, the grandson of prominent local civil rights leader Spike Moss.
Police say the suspect, who was identified in the documents only by his initials, appears to have skipped town and possibly has left the state, the documents say. A pickup order was issued for his arrest.
The man is suspected in the April 18 slaying of Beasley at a house on the 1100 block of N. Irving Avenue, in the Near North neighborhood.
Beasley and others were hosting a party at the house, which they had rented out. Beasley reportedly got into a confrontation with a man who had come to the gathering with two others, according to court documents. One of the man's companions pulled out a gun and shot Beasley multiple times, sending other partygoers fleeing from the house, the documents say. Police said they later recovered a weapon, a 9-mm handgun, in a nearby yard. They also found a jacket they believe belonged to the suspected shooter.
Beasley was found unconscious inside the house, suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspected shooter's companions were later arrested after a witness pointed out an SUV in which they fled, police said. Detectives reviewed surveillance footage which appeared to show the three men running toward the house where the handgun was recovered.
Police later obtained warrants to search cellphones belonging to the two companions for any evidence of the crime.
Longtime peace activist K.G. Wilson said funeral services for Beasley were set for Friday. Moss, a longtime civil rights leader, has worked over several decades to reduce violence among the city's youth.
