On the evening of December 11, 2019, Dattreas Markeal Stewart, a 45-year-old Black male from Brooklyn Center, was fatally shot at a Pump n' Munch gas station in the Minneapolis suburb. Stewart was in the passenger seat of a Chevy Blazer, driven by his girlfriend, when the tragic events unfolded. His death was later ruled a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
The incident began when Stewart's girlfriend arranged to sell an ounce of marijuana for $300.
She was connected with a man she knew as "Giovanni" and they agreed to meet at the gas station on 69th Avenue North. Shortly after Stewart and his girlfriend arrived, a Chrysler 200 parked beside them. A man, later identified as 24-year-old Giovanni Williams of Minneapolis, exited his vehicle and got into the back seat of the Blazer.
Inside the vehicle, Williams discussed the marijuana with Stewart and asked to smell it. Williams then announced a robbery. He admitted in court that his intention was to rob Stewart. Williams stated that when he pulled out his handgun, Stewart also drew his own gun. Claiming he was scared, Williams shot Stewart once in the head before Stewart could use his weapon. After the shooting, Williams fled the scene with a bag of marijuana. When police arrived, they found Stewart's girlfriend screaming and pressing a piece of clothing to his head wound. Paramedics were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation, aided by surveillance video and a witness who was in the car with Williams, quickly identified him as the suspect. Brooklyn Center police arrested Williams at a home in Brooklyn Park. He was charged with second-degree murder. In September 2020, Giovanni Williams pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
