Police: Suspects ran down man in north Minneapolis alley, fatally shot him twice in head

Gunman was among three who ran after the victim following a car chase, according to authorities.

November 19, 2019 at 3:19PM
Xavier Gilleylen Credit: Hennepin County jail
Xavier Gilleylen Credit: Hennepin County jail (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two men are charged with second-degree murder after they allegedly ran down a man in a north Minneapolis alley and fatally shot him twice in the head, according to criminal complaints filed against both suspects.

Dayton C. Robinson, 20, of Minneapolis was charged Monday in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder on suspicion that he ran with the gunman, Xavier D. Gilleylen, 18, of Brooklyn Park, and another accomplice on Nov. 9, when a man in his 30s was shot in the 4600 block of Lyndale Avenue N.

Robinson was arrested Thursday and has a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday. Gilleylen was arrested Friday. Authorities have yet to disclose any information about the whereabouts of the third suspect.

According to the complaint against Robinson and Gilleylen:

Witness accounts and video surveillance revealed that a Honda sedan was chasing a Chevy Impala late in the afternoon, and they soon crashed at the intersection of 47th and Lyndale avenues N.

Robinson, the gunman and a third male got out of the Honda and started chasing the Impala's driver and shooting at him.

The gunman caught up to the victim in the alley and shot him twice in the head.

Police located Robinson on Thursday, and he admitted under questioning to being the driver of the Honda. He was asked several times why he and the others were pursuing the victim, and "he could not come up with a consistent answer," the complaint read.

Robinson admitted running to a home nearby, where Gilleylen stashed the weapon, a 9-millimeter handgun.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Dayton C. Robinson Credit: Hennepin County jail
Dayton C. Robinson Credit: Hennepin County jail (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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Paul Walsh

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

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