On the evening of October 25, 2014, a tragic and senseless act of violence cut short the life of 25-year-old Terrence Jermaine Woods, a Black male from Maplewood, Minnesota. Woods, in the company of two friends, had gone to Merwin Liquors located in a busy strip mall on Rice Street. Before entering the store, they were approached by a group of at least three young men who asked them to purchase alcohol for them.
Woods and his friends refused the request.
After making their purchases and exiting the liquor store, the situation escalated dramatically. Shots were fired from a white car, striking Woods and one of his friends. Woods suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and was rushed to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His 24-year-old friend, Jamil Ellis, was shot in the leg but survived his injuries. The third friend who was with them managed to escape the gunfire unharmed.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Maplewood police began an intensive investigation. Their efforts initially led to the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect, Enock Hassan Mohamed, after his car matched the description of the vehicle seen at the scene. However, further investigation revealed that while he may have been in the area, he was not directly involved in the shooting. Consequently, he was released from custody and cleared as a suspect in the case.
Despite recovering evidence with the help of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and obtaining surveillance footage of the suspect's vehicle, described as a white Honda Accord or Chevrolet Impala, the individuals responsible for the death of Terrence Jermaine Woods have not been brought to justice. The case remains an unsolved homicide, leaving a grieving family and community searching for answers and closure. The Maplewood Police Department has continued to ask for the public's help in identifying the suspects involved in this fatal shooting.
