Derrick Jamal Mack, an 18-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in a daytime drive-by shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday, March 26, 2016. Just before noon, Mack was walking east on 39th Avenue North near Colfax Avenue when someone opened fire from a white car. He ran into a nearby alley where he collapsed and died from multiple gunshot wounds. When officers arrived at the scene, they found him deceased.
Family and friends described the recent Osseo High School graduate as outgoing, funny, and fiercely loyal. His cousin remembered him as someone who always had a smile on his face and whose energetic presence was loved by everyone. She recalled his unforgettable laugh and his protective nature over his family.
The investigation into the homicide led police to seek public assistance in locating the suspect vehicle, described as a white Dodge Dynasty or a similar car with damage to the left rear quarter panel. Nearly two weeks after the shooting, on April 8, 2016, Minneapolis police arrested two suspects in connection with the murder. The men arrested were 18-year-old Kain Treshaun Buss, for probable cause aiding an offender after the fact, and 23-year-old Andrew Devon Jones-Harris, for probable cause murder. The suspected murder weapon was also recovered at the time of the arrests.
According to a later report, one of the suspects confessed to shooting Mack after a brief struggle inside the suspect's car during what was supposed to be a transaction for a stereo. However, in a turn of events that brought further pain to Mack's family, prosecutors later dropped all charges against the two men. This decision was reportedly due to doubts about the evidence in the case. The lack of a conviction left his family, who would tragically lose another son to gun violence years later, feeling as though the justice system had failed them.
