Uel Dandre Lott

Manuel Dandre Lott, a 32-year-old Black man from Minneapolis, was known to his loved ones as “Boom.” Remembered as a genuine, funny, and caring person, he was described above all as a present and loving father. His life was cut short by gun violence in the summer of 2021.

Around 2 a.m. on August 22, 2021, a Hennepin County deputy was flagged down in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. The officer was directed to a car parked on Washington Avenue North, near the Deja Vu club, where a man was found deceased inside. The man was Manuel Lott, who was slumped over in the driver’s seat with a fatal gunshot wound to his head. Lott was dressed as if he had been riding a motorcycle, and his bike was discovered nearby. He had a gun on him, but it was still secured in its holster. Investigators also found a shell casing next to a $100 bill inside the car.

The investigation revealed that Lott had planned to meet with a group of people that night. According to the father of a man named Kevin Eric Wilbert, Lott had called him earlier to arrange a sale of marijuana. The father gave conflicting statements to police, at one point saying he sent his son and a woman to meet Lott, and at another time saying Lott never showed up, so the group went to the club without him.

Witnesses who were with Wilbert’s group at the club told police what happened next. Wilbert reportedly told his father he had forgotten his phone in the car and was given the keys to retrieve it. A woman who was with the group told investigators that she went out to the car and got in the back seat. Lott was in the driver’s seat and Wilbert was in the front passenger seat. The woman said she had her head down when she suddenly heard a gunshot. She had seen Lott and Wilbert shake hands before they got in the car and did not hear any argument. After the shooting, she ran back into the club to tell Wilbert’s father. Another man in their group recalled Wilbert leaving with the woman, which he thought was “fishy.” He said the woman returned 20 to 30 minutes later and said Wilbert had shot someone.

The case progressed in 2024 after police conducted a second interview with the female witness. Following this, prosecutors charged Kevin Eric Wilbert, 23, with second-degree murder in the death of Manuel Lott. A nationwide warrant was issued for Wilbert's arrest, but he is not in custody. As of 2024, the case remains unsolved pending his apprehension.