In a parking lot of a Plymouth, Minnesota apartment complex, the life of a 17-year-old Black male named Yaseen Johnson came to a violent end on the evening of November 14, 2022. The young man, a student at Rogers High School, had traveled with a friend to the location on the 9700 block of 37th Place North for what was supposed to be a simple transaction: buying a pair of Balenciaga sneakers.
This meeting, arranged for the purchase of high-end footwear, would tragically devolve into a fatal robbery.
Johnson and his friend waited in their vehicle when two individuals, later identified as Augustus Sirleaf and Hans Madave, got into the back seat to conduct the sale. Johnson inspected one of the shoes and, satisfied, handed over the money. The deal seemed complete until Sirleaf unexpectedly demanded that Johnson return one of the sneakers. When Johnson refused to hand it back, Sirleaf produced a gun and shot him multiple times. As the gunshots rang out, Johnson's terrified friend fled from the driver's seat. Officers who were nearby arrived quickly at the scene shortly before 6 p.m. to find Johnson fatally wounded inside the car.
The investigation that followed led Plymouth police to identify three suspects. An 18-year-old man was arrested within days but was later released. The focus then shifted to 19-year-old Augustus Sirleaf of Plymouth and 19-year-old Hans Madave of New Hope. Sirleaf was apprehended, and police sought public assistance to locate Madave, who remained at large for two months. During the investigation, it was revealed that Sirleaf and Madave had allegedly planned to rob the buyers during the shoe sale.
Eventually, both primary suspects were brought into custody to answer for the crime. Hans Madave turned himself in to the authorities in January 2023. In November 2023, both Augustus Sirleaf and Hans Madave pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for their roles in Yaseen Johnson's death. Sirleaf, identified as the shooter, was sentenced to a 23-year prison term. Madave, who also accepted a plea deal, later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea in March 2024, claiming the shooting was not a foreseeable consequence of the intended robbery.
