Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (trfnews.i234.me)—A Minneapolis resident, Steven Rawls Jr., 25, has been charged in connection with a fatal drive-by shooting that occurred on November 22, 2024, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Prosecutors allege that Rawls fired multiple shots at a vehicle parked on the 600 block of Aurora Avenue, resulting in the death of a 26-year-old man and endangering three others, including a two-month-old infant and a five-year-old child.
Earlier that day, officers responded to a reported dispute involving weapons at the same location. Witnesses described a confrontation between building occupants and a group retrieving belongings. Police cleared the scene after determining the situation had de-escalated. Approximately 20 minutes later, reports of gunfire brought officers back to the address, where they found a Mazda with at least 13 bullet holes. The adult male victim was pronounced dead en route to Regions Hospital. The two children in the backseat were unharmed, despite shattered windows and a bullet hole in the infant’s car seat.
Surveillance footage indicated that a black Mitsubishi Outlander had pulled alongside the Mazda before multiple gunshots were fired from within the SUV. Investigators identified Rawls as the vehicle’s owner and linked him to the scene using surveillance video and cell phone location data. The footage showed Rawls and several accomplices fleeing the area immediately after the shooting and returning to his residence in Minneapolis.
Rawls was arrested on December 31, 2024. He admitted ownership of the Mitsubishi but denied being in Saint Paul on the day of the shooting. He now faces two counts of second-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder. He is being held on $10 million bail and faces up to 40 years in prison for each murder charge if convicted. Rawls is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Friday morning.
Investigators continue to seek information on other suspects involved in the shooting.
I’m Chris Harper, reporting for trfnews.i234.me