Andre Conley

Andre Conley, a 17-year-old Black male from Minneapolis, was a senior at Patrick Henry High School known for his athleticism and smile. His family described him as a "great kid" from a loving home who was not involved in gangs or drugs. Andre was also an intern for the congressional campaign of Lacy Johnson, though his work was not related to the events that led to his death.

On the afternoon of September 14, 2020, Andre was standing outside the Super USA convenience store at the intersection of North Fremont and Dowling avenues. At about 4:30 p.m., in a daylight drive-by shooting, assailants fired almost a dozen shots from two different guns. Andre was shot three times and died from his injuries. A second person, a 19-year-old man, was also shot but survived in serious but stable condition.

Minneapolis police investigated the shooting and on September 17, they located a vehicle linked to a suspect. The driver led officers on a chase, during which he threw a gun from the window that was later matched to the killing. The pursuit ended with the arrest of the driver, 17-year-old Jomoy Lee.

Prosecutors charged Lee with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder and successfully moved to have him tried as an adult. Authorities also charged an alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Kejuan Haywood, with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for his role in the shooting.

In July 2021, Jomoy Lee, by then 18, pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder. The following month, a judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison. As of August 2021, the case against his co-defendant, Kejuan Haywood, was still pending.

Andre’s death deeply affected his family and community, who held vigils calling for an end to gun violence. At one gathering, his aunt made a plea for the community to come together, saying, "My nephew, someone took his life for no reason... We need to stop killing our children." His family advocated for more funding for youth programs and resources to provide young people with safe alternatives to hanging out in parking lots.