On a bright Minneapolis afternoon on May 11, 2017, Roderick Evans, a 40-year-old Black or African American man, was spending his time gardening with his aunt on North 6th Street. Their peaceful activity was abruptly shattered when a vehicle, later identified as a blue minivan, drove up and shots were fired. Evans was struck by the gunfire in broad daylight.
Despite being found bleeding heavily but still breathing, he ultimately succumbed to a gunshot wound to the chest and died at the scene in the 3700 block of N. 6th Street.
In the immediate aftermath, Hennepin County deputies who were in the area and heard the shots pursued a vehicle fleeing the scene at high speed. They managed to stop the van, which was occupied by three people. Two individuals were taken into custody at the vehicle, while a third passenger fled on foot. A perimeter was quickly established, and with the assistance of a K-9 unit, the third suspect was apprehended. Investigators discovered several handguns inside the vehicle. The family of Roderick Evans, including his wife and cousin, were left reeling, with his cousin expressing a belief that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, stating, "My cousin never did nothing to nobody."
The investigation led to charges against the occupants of the minivan. Isaiah Rakeem Wallace, the 20-year-old driver, was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Another passenger in the van was a juvenile. The shooter was identified as Stevevontae D. Champion, who was known by the nickname "Tay Tay." Witnesses reported that a man wearing a ski mask, later identified as Champion, shot Evans from the open door of the slow-moving minivan. DNA evidence from the ski mask and a gun found in the vehicle linked Champion to the crime. Cellphone records also placed him at the scene of the killing. Subsequently, Stevevontae Champion pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder for the drive-by shooting. Prosecutors stated their intention to seek a maximum sentence of 32 ½ years for Champion, who fired nine shots into a group of people in a residential neighborhood in the middle of the day. While arrests were made and a conviction secured, authorities did not publicly release a motive for the shooting.
