Teen certified as an adult in April Minneapolis homicide

A teen has been ordered to stand trial as an adult in a Minneapolis homicide case.

Darnail Arnez LaBrec, 18, faces one count of second-degree murder. He was certified as an adult on Friday.

Minneapolis police responded to a shooting at an apartment building on the 2000 block of West River Road North in April. According to the criminal complaint, the call was updated to say that a car had crashed into the door to the underground parking and a man with a gunshot wound was found inside.

RELATED: Man found shot to death inside of crashed vehicle, homicide investigation underway

Twenty-seven-year-old Davione Daunte Charles Collins had been shot in the neck, and court documents state he likely died instantly.

Investigators identified the two suspects as LaBrec, who was 17 at the time, and 20-year-old Jayce Nasir Cuff. According to court documents, they were helped by a third suspect.

RELATED: Man, juvenile charged in April Minneapolis murder

Collins’ vehicle had several bullet holes from different angles, and two iPhones were found inside. Investigators also found a significant amount of suspected marijuana prepackaged into “dime”-sized baggies.

One of the phones found in the car was signed into LaBrec’s iCloud account. Investigators also found photos of him holding a 9mm Glock pistol inside the phone. Court documents state the pistol had a gold switch for fully automatic gunfire.

Investigators also found messages in LaBrec’s Snapchat stating “my people hitting my [stain]” — a suspected reference to robbing someone for drugs.

Collins’ phone also showed messages between him and the unnamed third suspect, arranging a drug deal, according to court documents.

Surveillance video from the night of the murder showed Collins’ vehicle parking on the west side of the building and two people approaching the driver’s side window. Court documents state that at one point, the two figures were seen jumping back and extending their arms as if pointing a gun. The vehicle’s brake lights flickered and the vehicle rolled forward while the two figures were seen running toward the apartment building.

Surveillance video from inside the building showed LaBrec and Cuff coming inside after the shooting, according to court documents.

Five discharged cartridge casings were recovered from the scene — they were determined to have come from two different firearms.

Court documents note that the evidence in this case could be used to support aggravated departure for sentencing: the presence of three or more offenders, the use of a firearm and violence during a drug deal.
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