On the evening of December 2, 2024, in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale, 22-year-old Treyvon Marcellis Molette was fatally shot. The incident unfolded around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Lowry and Indiana Avenues North, where police responded to reports of gunfire and a subsequent car crash. Arriving officers discovered a single-vehicle crash and found Molette inside the driver's seat with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed that Molette died from the gunshot wound, ruling his death a homicide.
The investigation into Molette's death, which marked the first homicide in Robbinsdale in 2024, quickly suggested the shooting was not a random act. According to court documents, Molette had arranged to meet with two individuals to sell them marijuana vape cartridges. The transaction was reportedly set up through the social media app Snapchat. During the deal, an altercation occurred, and Molette was shot. After being shot, Molette's vehicle crashed into a tree. He was briefly on the phone with his girlfriend during the incident, who overheard part of the conversation before the line went dead and then heard from him again moments after he was shot.
Investigators found three cell phones inside Molette's truck, one of which did not belong to him. This phone was traced to 16-year-old Dushawn Quran Cotton Lowe of Coon Rapids, as the phone number matched the one he used to communicate with his probation officer. This discovery became a critical piece of evidence leading to arrests in the case. Law enforcement officials believe the motive for the shooting may have been robbery, as the suspects had noticed Molette's handgun inside his vehicle.
In late January 2025, two teenage suspects were arrested in connection with Molette's death. Dushawn Quran Cotton Lowe was taken into custody in Coon Rapids and subsequently charged with second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree aggravated robbery. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has indicated they will seek to have him certified as an adult. A second suspect, a 17-year-old, was arrested in Bismarck, North Dakota, and is awaiting extradition to Minnesota to face charges. Police were aided in tracking the suspects' movements by extensive surveillance footage provided by local residents and businesses.
