On a cold December evening in Minneapolis, a plan was set in motion that would end the life of 21-year-old Malik Tyree Smith. It was December 19, 2019, when Smith, a male, drove his car to the 1800 block of Russell Avenue North, believing he was there to sell marijuana to a woman he had connected with on Facebook. Unbeknownst to him, this was a setup for a robbery, orchestrated by three individuals who had conspired to lure him to that location.
The woman, Destiny Bradshaw, then 20, was used as the bait with the thought that a female would make it easier to entice a male target into their trap.
As Smith sat in his vehicle, two men, James T. Moore, 21, and Tyreik L. Perkins, 20, approached. Moore, who was identified as the shooter, tried to open the car door, but it was locked. Without hesitation, Moore fired into the car, striking Smith. After being shot, Smith managed to drive away from the scene but crashed his car into a tree a short distance away. When police arrived, they found him behind the wheel with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The two male assailants fled the scene and ran to Bradshaw's nearby apartment.
Following the shooting, an investigation led law enforcement to Bradshaw's apartment. After obtaining a search warrant, police found Bradshaw, two children, and eventually, Perkins and Moore inside. The two men surrendered to the police and were taken into custody. Investigators also discovered two handguns in the apartment. James T. Moore was charged with second-degree murder, and Tyreik L. Perkins was charged with aiding an offender and being an accomplice after the fact. Destiny Bradshaw was later charged with second-degree murder with intent. All three were subsequently indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder while committing aggravated robbery and second-degree intentional murder. Eventually, James Moore pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role as the shooter in the fatal robbery.
