Bryson Lamarr Haskell, a 24-year-old Black man from Minneapolis, was killed on December 3, 2023. A loving grandson and brother, his life was cut short in a shooting that also claimed the life of his friend, 24-year-old Michael Jamartre Sanders, also of Minneapolis.
The violence took place around 2:15 a.m. inside the Royal Cigar and Tobacco shop in the Dinkytown area, on the 400 block of 14th Avenue Southeast.
According to authorities, Haskell and Sanders were inside the store with a group of people when an argument broke out and escalated into a fistfight. A man then entered the store and opened fire on specific individuals in the group. Surveillance video showed the gunman shooting both Haskell and Sanders in the head at close range. Both men died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. A store employee was also injured, sustaining a gunshot wound to the buttocks.
After the shooting, the wounded employee managed to hit a panic button, which locked the store’s doors. The gunman then shot out the glass of the front door and crawled outside to escape, followed by four other men who fled with him in a stolen Kia. The subsequent investigation revealed that the shooting stemmed from a gang rivalry. Authorities stated that Haskell and Sanders were known members or associates of the Lowz street gang from North Minneapolis, while the shooter and his companions were identified as associates of a rival South Minneapolis gang called the “Crazi Boyz.”
The investigation led police to identify Maleek Jabril Conley, then 26, as the gunman. A Hennepin County grand jury later indicted Conley on 13 criminal charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, attempted murder, and assault. In May 2025, a jury found Conley guilty on multiple counts, including two counts of premeditated first-degree murder. The following month, in June 2025, Conley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
