On a summer afternoon in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the life of 19-year-old DaSeion Pugh was tragically cut short. The young Black / African American male was fatally shot on Saturday, June 24, 2017. The incident unfolded around 4 p.m. in the 200 block of Aurora Avenue, near the State Capitol, in what authorities would later describe as a drug deal gone wrong. When police officers arrived at the scene, they found Pugh unresponsive behind a building.
Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to two arrests. One suspect, a juvenile male, was apprehended on the Sunday following the incident. Another individual, 19-year-old Merion Dontez Denton, was also taken into custody. Investigators determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence. According to the criminal complaint, Denton had driven the 17-year-old suspect to Aurora Avenue to conduct a drug deal.
During the transaction, the 17-year-old reportedly entered a vehicle with Pugh and two other individuals. The situation escalated when the teenager brandished a gun and demanded money and drugs. As Pugh and the others attempted to flee the vehicle, the juvenile suspect opened fire. Pugh was struck by the gunfire and collapsed between two houses. A search of Denton's residence later uncovered items that had been reported stolen during the robbery.
In his interviews with law enforcement, Denton admitted to his involvement. He confessed to driving the 17-year-old to the location of the drug deal, hearing the gunshots, and seeing the younger suspect with a firearm. He also admitted to driving the juvenile away from the scene after the fatal shooting. As a result, Merion Dontez Denton was charged with six felony counts of aiding an offender. The 17-year-old alleged shooter was also taken into custody.
