29-year sentence for man who fatally shot woman outside Merwin Liquors in north Minneapolis

A Brooklyn Center man has received a term of more than 29 years for fatally shooting a woman more than two years ago outside Merwin Liquors at Broadway and Lyndale avenues in north Minneapolis.

Deandre W.L. Craig, 29, was sentenced Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court after jurors convicted him of second-degree murder, first-degree assault and illegal possession of a gun in connection with the June 7, 2021, death of Samantha J. Taylor, 39, of Minneapolis.

Taylor was shot just before 6:30 p.m. and died outside the liquor store. A 21-year-old man also was shot in the incident but survived.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Craig is expected to serve about 17 ³⁄₄ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

According to the criminal complaint:

Surveillance video from nearby businesses showed Craig appearing to sell marijuana in front of nearby Sanctuary Covenant Church. A 21-year-old man and another man approached Craig, soon followed by Taylor. She accused Craig of stealing something earlier.

A fight began and soon broke up, and Craig is seen backing away from the area. However, he reappeared and shot Taylor in the head and then fired at the 21-year-old man, hitting him in the shoulder and elsewhere.

The intersection where the liquor store is located has long resembled an open-air drug bazaar where prostitution and gun violence have persisted.

Efforts to curb violent crime at the intersection in north Minneapolis have led to a significant reduction in incidents, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison disclosed at a news conference last month.

Ellison announced in September that his office would investigate whether Merwin Liquors and a Winner Gas station across the street "are maintaining or permitting an unlawful public nuisance on their properties," responding to community complaints over open-air drug dealing and violent crime outside the businesses.