On the night of May 8, 2021, a vibrant 24-year-old Black woman named Ariana Marie Bradley was tragically killed in a shooting in downtown Minneapolis. The incident, which also left a man with non-life-threatening injuries, unfolded around 10:20 p.m. near the intersection of South 9th Street and LaSalle Avenue.
The events of that fatal evening began with a heated verbal altercation in an alley.
During the dispute, a woman who was with another group of people reportedly drew a handgun and accidentally shot a male acquaintance in the leg. As she tended to his injury, a man from her group, later identified as 45-year-old Otis Terrell Givens, took possession of her firearm. It was at this point that Bradley and a male companion, who had been involved in the initial argument, left the alley and sought refuge in a nearby parking garage.
Surveillance footage captured what happened next. Givens followed Bradley and her companion into the parking structure. He walked past her friend and then shot Bradley in the back of the head as she attempted to flee. The medical examiner later confirmed that she died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. After the shooting, witnesses reported that Givens returned to his group in the alley and stated, "I got at 'em." He later confided in the woman whose gun he had used, saying, "I can't believe I shot that girl."
Minneapolis police quickly launched an investigation and, within a couple of days, arrested two individuals in connection with the homicide: Sheavery Sharnez Starr, 30, and Otis Terrell Givens. While Starr was later released pending formal charges, Givens was charged with second-degree murder. Investigators were able to identify Givens through surveillance video, witness statements, and even receipts from a nearby bar. His distinctive, brightly colored salmon pants, seen on surveillance footage, also aided in his identification. In August 2022, Givens pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. As part of a plea agreement, he was expected to receive a sentence of 25 and a half years in prison.
