On the evening of September 9, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the routine of a north Minneapolis barbershop, leaving a young man's life cut tragically short. Jaylen Terell Salter, a 19-year-old Black male, was inside the Clientele Barbershop on 42nd Avenue North when the attack occurred at approximately 6:17 p.m. He was a graduate of Patrick Henry High School, known to friends and family by the nickname "Duke."
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed that Salter died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
The shooting was not a random act of violence inside the shop but a targeted assault from the outside. According to police reports, several masked individuals walked past the barbershop and opened fire into the business. The hail of bullets struck Salter, killing him as he sat inside. The violence also injured two other people, a man who was grazed by a bullet and a woman who was shot in the leg. The woman had been at the barbershop with her young son to get his hair cut. Both of the injured victims sustained non-life-threatening wounds and were able to transport themselves to a nearby hospital for treatment.
For Jaylen Salter's family, his violent death was another devastating chapter in a history marked by similar tragedies. His mother had previously lost another son, Brandon, who was 27 when he was shot and killed the previous summer in the Elliot Park neighborhood. The father of the two brothers had also been fatally shot years earlier.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Minneapolis Police Department launched a homicide investigation. However, despite the public nature of the crime, no arrests have been made in connection with Jaylen Salter's death. Authorities have not released any detailed descriptions or the names of any potential suspects. The case remains an active and ongoing investigation, leaving a family and a community waiting for answers and justice for a young life taken too soon.
