On a Sunday afternoon in August 2019, Isiah Lamarr Smith, a 29-year-old Black / African American male, was found deceased in an apartment building on the 1900 block of First Avenue South in Minneapolis. The cause of his death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the homicide quickly led authorities to a suspect.
Derrick Dwayne Blanton, 38 years old at the time, was arrested and subsequently charged with second-degree murder in connection with Smith's death. The incident was not considered a random act of violence, as the two men were known to each other and had an ongoing dispute over a woman with whom Smith shared a child.
According to the criminal complaint, Smith had gone to his ex-girlfriend's apartment, where Blanton, her current boyfriend, was present with his own young son. A physical altercation ensued between the two men, which culminated in Blanton fatally shooting Smith. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing two men and a child fleeing the scene in a black Dodge Charger. After his arrest, Blanton admitted to police that he had shot Smith following the fight.
Derrick Blanton was ultimately convicted of a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter in December of the following year. The jury determined that he had acted in the "heat of passion" provoked by Smith. In February 2021, Blanton was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for the killing of Isiah Smith.
