Lavonte D. Baymon-Love, an 18-year-old from Saint Paul, MN, was tragically killed on August 29, 2021. The incident occurred around 8:40 p.m. near East Seventh Street and Mounds Boulevard. Lavonte was driving a Jeep with several juveniles when he was shot in the neck and head. Witnesses reported that the shooting happened at a red light near a Burger King, where a confrontation had escalated.
The suspect, Dennis John Edmondson, aged 37, was charged with three counts of second-degree
murder and one count of illegally possessing a firearm. Edmondson, who was on supervised release for a previous crime, was reportedly annoyed by the Jeep full of juveniles who kept pulling up beside the car he was in. Edmondson's girlfriend, who was driving their car, stated that he shot first because they believed the people in the Jeep were going to shoot at them.
Further details revealed that Edmondson had been involved in an earlier altercation at an M&H gas station on Arcade Street. A witness, identified as 'DK,' mentioned that Edmondson had become verbally aggressive and threatened to shoot someone before leaving the gas station. DK followed Edmondson's car and witnessed the shooting at the Jeep.
Edmondson was arrested and later sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. The tragic death of Lavonte D. Baymon-Love left a significant impact on his family and the community, who held a vigil to remember the young man and call for an end to the violence.
