The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has dismissed its murder case against a 17-year-old who had been charged with shooting a man on a south Minneapolis street last winter.
A hearing scheduled for last week was canceled after prosecutors dropped their case against Ryan Lewis Saice-Roy, who had been charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting on Feb. 6 of Roberto Julian Manzano-Gomez, 31, of Minneapolis.
Five days later, Saice-Roy was among four people who police say roamed south Minneapolis in stolen vehicles and carried out a two-hour burst of crimes early one morning that left two victims shot and seriously wounded. He remains charged in connection with those crimes and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 20.
A court filing by prosecutors offered little insight into the decision to dismiss the case other than citing “further investigation and new evidence.”
Dan Borgertpoepping, spokesman for County Attorney Mary Moriarty, said Tuesday afternoon, “As is typical in homicide cases, investigation continues after charges are filed. During that phase of the investigation, it became clear that the case could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and consistent with our ethical responsibility, the case was dismissed.”
As of midday Tuesday, officials have announced no other arrests or charges in connection with the shooting.
Police Sgt. Garrett Parten said the case “remains open and active, and investigators are following leads.”
According to murder charge:
