On the evening of February 6, 2020, Tommie McCoy, a 51-year-old Black/African American man, was looking forward to a fresh start in Minneapolis. Originally from Chicago, he had recently secured new housing and was temporarily staying at the Salvation Army. That night, he boarded a Metro Transit bus near downtown Minneapolis, a ride that would tragically be his last.
The bus was near 1st Avenue and 9th Street, not far from the Target Center, when another passenger engaged him in a brief conversation.
The man he spoke with was 26-year-old Malcolm James Lessley. According to police who reviewed surveillance footage, the interaction between McCoy and Lessley was short. Lessley then pulled out a handgun and shot McCoy in the face. As Lessley was exiting the bus, he also shot another man in the head. Tommie McCoy was killed in the attack. The second victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition but was expected to survive.
Police officers arrested Malcolm James Lessley a short time later on 9th Street and Nicollet Mall and recovered a gun. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, and his bail was set at $2 million. Investigators did not immediately release a motive for what his family would later describe as a senseless act of violence. It was later revealed that in the year prior to the shooting, Lessley had been found incompetent to stand trial after being accused of pointing a gun at a cab driver's head.
Tommie McCoy's family remembered him as a beloved son, brother, father, and grandfather who loved spending time with his family. His cousin expressed that McCoy was on the verge of restarting his life. In a gesture of compassion, McCoy's mother expressed sadness for Lessley, acknowledging that at 26, his life was also forever changed by his actions. The family of Malcolm Lessley reportedly reached out to McCoy's family in Chicago to offer their apologies.
