Minneapolis man, 21, charged with murder in 2024 drug deal shooting
A 21-year-old Minneapolis man faces murder charges nearly two years after authorities say he killed 25-year-old Malacai Bailey during a drug deal, allegedly telling an associate at the time "s*** went left and shots were fired."
Donell Odell Jones was charged in Hennepin County on Friday with two counts of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting that occurred around June 1, 2024, inside a vehicle near North 34th and James avenues in the Folwell neighborhood, about a block from Jones' residence.
According to the criminal complaint, Bailey was found injured on the ground outside of his vehicle, and was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Witnesses told Minneapolis police they heard gunshots before seeing two men flee into a nearby alley. One of the men was first seen in the passenger seat of Bailey's vehicle, while the other man ran off with a duffle bag.
Investigators were able to find a fingerprint on the vehicle's passenger side door that was traced to Jones, court documents state.
A search of Bailey's cellphone led to the discovery of a text thread between him and another man who sought to purchase marijuana. The complaint notes Bailey was shot four times about seven minutes after the man texted to say he had arrived for the deal. Two of the rounds struck several of his internal organs.
Police recovered the gun used in Bailey's killing during a traffic stop two months later, but it wasn't until last month that investigators were able to link DNA on the weapon to Jones.
Earlier this year, police spoke to the man involved in the text thread before the shooting, who admitted to investigators he had set up the drug deal but was working at the time and wasn't at the scene, a detail corroborated by the man's boss, the criminal complaint states.
Police arrested Jones on Thursday and say he was carrying a firearm at the time. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.