Fifteen-year-old Fred Ulysses Walker, a Black male, was killed on August 2, 2022, at the Nicollet Mall light rail station in Minneapolis. Surveillance footage shows Walker standing on the platform holding a cigarette when a train arrived. A 17-year-old passenger, identified as Tashawn C. Powell, is seen staring through the window, then drawing a handgun. Walker raised both hands to show he was unarmed. Powell fired a single shot from a few feet away, striking Walker in the chest; bystanders and police rendered aid but Walker was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police used the surveillance video and transit bus information to locate Powell shortly after the shooting. Officers found a handgun with an extended magazine; the weapon’s caliber matched the cartridge casing recovered beside Walker. Powell admitted to the shooting, was charged with second-degree intentional murder, and later pleaded guilty. A motive was not made clear in the criminal complaint.

Did anyone who saw Fred on Nicollet Mall that afternoon or who uses the transit line remember details that might shed light on what led to this encounter?