Javon Jarule Stevenson, an 18-year-old Black male, was fatally shot on the evening of July 7, 2024, in the Whittier neighborhood of south Minneapolis. The incident occurred around 7:50 p.m. near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and East 27th Street, an area known as "Eat Street." Reports indicate that a verbal altercation escalated, leading to the gunfire that ultimately claimed Stevenson's life.
Following the shooting, Stevenson was transported by some means to a residence on the
2600 block of Third Avenue South, about half a mile away from the scene of the argument. It was there that police officers first found him with life-threatening gunshot wounds. Officers administered immediate aid before he was taken by ambulance to Hennepin Healthcare. Despite the medical intervention, Javon Jarule Stevenson succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:41 p.m. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed his death was a homicide resulting from gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the shooting led Minneapolis police to identify a suspect through a combination of surveillance footage and tracking of the vehicle involved. The footage showed a white GMC Acadia approaching Stevenson and three other individuals as they were getting out of a car. The driver of the Acadia opened fire, and at least two of the people with Stevenson returned fire. Investigators determined that at least five firearms were discharged at the scene. One of the bullets fired from the Acadia ricocheted off the ground and struck Stevenson.
Amariaun Antonio Thomas Thornton, a 21-year-old from Oakdale, was arrested in connection with the murder. Authorities traced the GMC Acadia to its owner, who stated that Thornton had been driving the vehicle at the time of the shooting. Cellphone location data also placed Thornton in the vicinity of the homicide. He was apprehended in a separate incident after police responded to reports of a gun being fired. Thornton fled from a house by breaking a window but was arrested. A search of the home uncovered a 9 mm "ghost gun," an untraceable, privately made firearm. Ballistic testing confirmed that this was the weapon used in Stevenson's death. Thornton has since been charged with six felonies, including second-degree murder.
