On the morning of Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in North Minneapolis, 56-year-old Eddie James Pelmore was shot and killed while sitting in a parked vehicle on the 4500 block of Penn Avenue North. A second man in the car, 47-year-old Odell Frazier, was also shot; the Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed both died from gunshot wounds to the head.

Police say the attack was not random. Witnesses saw two men approach the vehicle before at least one opened fire multiple times and fled on foot. An officer who heard the shots chased after two men; one of them, 21-year-old Brian Deshawn Morse of Chicago, was apprehended nearby after being seen throw a handgun over a fence. The weapon was recovered and later tied to the killings; blood was found on Morse’s pants and he admitted it came from the victims. A second suspect, 30-year-old Leland Ethridge of Minneapolis, surrendered to investigators days later after family negotiations.

Morse was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 55 years; during his plea he admitted shooting both Pelmore and Frazier. Reports suggested Pelmore had arranged to sell marijuana to one of the assailants, but a clear motive was not provided. If anyone knew Pelmore or has information about the shooting, please share what you know.