2 teenage boys charged in fatal Robbinsdale shooting
MINNEAPOLIS — Two teenage boys face charges in connection with a fatal shooting in Robbinsdale last month, according to authorities.
The Robbinsdale Police Department said Friday a 16- and 17-year-old were charged by warrant and both were taken into custody Wednesday. The 17-year-old was arrested in North Dakota and is awaiting extradition, while the 16-year-old was found in Robbinsdale.
WCCO has independently verified the charges against the 16-year-old. The boy has been charged in juvenile court with one count of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and two counts of aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery. All charges are felonies.
On Dec. 2, 2024, Robbinsdale police were called to the area of North Lowry and Indiana avenues shortly after 5 p.m. on reports of shots fired and a crash.
Upon arrival, officers found a vehicle that had crashed into a tree. Inside the car, there was a man in the driver's seat with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 22-year-old Treyvon Marcellis Molette.
Charges say police found three cell phones in the car, two of which belonged to the Molette. Investigators determined the phone belonged to the 16-year-old boy from Coon Rapids because it matched the number on record he used for communicating with his probation officer. Additionally, the phone was connected to the suspect's social media accounts and email addresses.
Investigators believe Molette had been in the area to sell two THC vape cartridges to the suspect, charges say.
Surveillance camera allegedly captured the shooting and the path the suspect and his co-conspirator took to get to the scene of the shooting, according to the complaint.
"Robbinsdale residents and businesses were incredibly helpful in turning over any footage they had from their cameras," Captain John Elder with the Robbinsdale Police Department said. "This was paramount in helping us track the path of our suspects."
Elder said evidence found at the scene of both arrests tied the suspects to the shooting, though he declined to say what that evidence was.