On the night of September 24, 2020, a 23-year-old White male named Dylan F. Lattery of Owatonna, Minnesota, was fatally shot in a Minneapolis home. The incident, which occurred just before 11 p.m. on the 1100 block of Irving Avenue North, was initially reported by the homeowner, Travis Leonard, also 23, as a home invasion. Leonard claimed he had shot an intruder who had broken into his house.
When police arrived, they found Lattery lying face down near a back door, wearing a black hoodie, mask, and gloves, with a hatchet in his hand. He was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital from multiple gunshot wounds.
However, as investigators delved deeper into the case, the initial self-defense narrative began to unravel. It was soon discovered that Leonard and Lattery were not strangers but acquaintances. A search of Leonard's residence uncovered a significant amount of marijuana packaged in vacuum-sealed bags and $13,000 in cash. The sheath for the hatchet Lattery was holding was found outside Leonard's upstairs bedroom. Discrepancies between the accounts provided by Leonard and his wife further raised suspicions. His wife's statement indicated that Leonard was on top of and beating Lattery before any shots were fired.
Confronted with the inconsistencies, Leonard's story changed. He admitted to knowing Lattery and having sold him drugs in the past. According to the criminal complaint, a fight had ensued between the two men. Leonard's wife stated that he had the upper hand in the altercation before he called for her to bring him a gun. After being shot once, Lattery was on the ground and, according to both Leonard and his wife, asked for his life to be ended. Leonard then admitted to shooting Lattery in the back of the head while he was face down and placing the hatchet in his hand to stage the scene.
Travis Leonard was arrested and subsequently charged with intentional second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. In April 2022, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. A charge of second-degree murder was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Leonard was sentenced to a five-year prison term for the killing of Dylan Lattery.
