In the afternoon hours of October 7, 2020, a dispute between two groups of people near a gas station in the Jordan neighborhood of north Minneapolis escalated into gunfire, tragically ending the life of 16-year-old Davontae Rayvion Wallace, a Black/African American male. The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. near the intersection of North Lowry and Logan avenues. When police arrived, they found two individuals on the street with gunshot wounds.
Davontae, who was known to friends and family as "Day Day," was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. The second victim was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and survived.
Davontae was a student at North Community High School, where his principal remembered him as a dedicated student who was in class daily and would stay late to finish assignments in the library before the pandemic forced schools into distance learning. His father, Issaclerome Watson, remembered his son as an "all around bright young man" who was "gone way too soon." A family friend, whose son was Davontae's best friend, described him as a kind leader whom people loved and someone he was proud of. He was considered a third child in their family, vacationing with them and sometimes surprising them with a homemade breakfast.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the suspects fled the scene. The Minneapolis Police Department opened a homicide investigation and, in the days following, reported making "significant strides" and "major progress" in the case. However, the police did not publicly release descriptions or names of any suspects involved. Despite initial reports of progress in the investigation into the city's 68th homicide of that year, information regarding any arrests remains unclear.
