Otis Elder, a 38-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on January 7, 2022, in the Hamline-Midway area while sitting in his SUV in St. Paul. The killing occurred during a drug deal that turned into a deadly robbery; Elder had just left a friend’s recording studio and was on his way to his daughter’s fourth birthday. His last words to her were that he loved her, that she was pretty, and that he couldn’t wait to see her for her birthday. He was a father of four and a brother.

Investigators traced leads to a Minneapolis apartment complex, Bolero Flats, where a primary suspect, 17-year-old Mekhi Speed, lived. A no-knock warrant executed there on February 2, 2022, resulted in the unrelated shooting death of 22-year-old Amir Locke, who was not a suspect in Elder’s murder and was legally armed. Speed was arrested and charged in connection with Elder’s death. An 18-year-old, Feysal Jama Ali, was also implicated; DNA from the getaway car and cellphone tracking linked Ali to the murder scene. The getaway vehicle was a silver Mercedes-Benz reported stolen and used in other crimes.

Did anyone who knew Otis Elder or who was in the Hamline-Midway area that evening see anything that could help clarify what happened?