Bail set at $2 million for Minneapolis man charged in Dinkytown tobacco shop killings
A 25-year-old Minneapolis man arrested recently in Chicago now stands charged with murder in connection with a double homicide last December in a Dinkytown tobacco shop.
Maleek Jabril Conley is charged with four counts of second-degree murder in Hennepin County District Court and stands accused of killing two people and wounding a store clerk with a bullet intended for another victim at Royal Cigar Tobacco on Dec. 3. Conley was extradited to Minneapolis on Monday and remains in custody while the whereabouts of a co-defendant remain unknown. He made a first court appearance Tuesday at which his bail was set at $2 million.
Gunfire erupted in the shop after a brawl broke out between two groups of customers in the tiny, family-owned smoke shop at 4th Street and 14th Avenue SE. near the University of Minnesota about 2:15 a.m., before a posted closing time of 3 a.m. Killed in the chaotic scene that was captured on bystander video were Bryson Lamarr Haskell and Jamartre Michael Sanders, both 24 and from Minneapolis.
Video depicted a melee involving at least seven men, with two of them exchanging punches on the floor as products spilled from shelves.
According to the charges:
Haskell and Sanders were shot in the head and neck several times while the store clerk was struck in the buttocks by a stray bullet. The clerk told police that the victims were with one of the groups that got into an argument and a fistfight that he and other employees tried to stop. But a gunman, identified as Conley, entered the store and unleashed a barrage of semiautomatic gunfire.
Video corroborated the clerk's account and revealed that Conley fired directly at Haskell and Sanders while standing three feet away. Conley also fired at least twice at a fourth victim from close range but missed, wounding the clerk. The charges reflect two attempted murders and two intentional murders.
A store employee pressed a panic button that locked everyone inside. When Conley realized this, he shot out a glass door and crawled through the metal frame, followed by four accomplices.
All five men ran to a stolen Kia and fled the scene. The getaway driver was identified, but has not been formally charged. The Star Tribune typically does not name an individual until they have been formally charged.
The stolen Kia was found outside a suspect's apartment building on Elliott Avenue. Surveillance video from the apartment showed all five men at the site 15 minutes after the shooting.
Investigators say that Conley was the only one to display a firearm during the violent encounter. He fired at least 24 shots, judging by the number of recovered 9mm discharge casings. He also left fingerprints on a glass counter.
The other three men are identified only by initials in court records; one is related to Conley. All are known members of a south Minneapolis street gang.
Investigators say that Haskell and Sanders were associated with a north Minneapolis street gang, and they believe the murders stem from a rivalry.
Staff writer Liz Sawyer contributed to this story.
