A 16-year-old gang member pleaded guilty Tuesday in adult court to spraying gunfire across a busy street and killing an 18-year-old rival outside a St. Paul market.
Dimitri R. Herndon Jr., of St. Paul, admitted that he shot 18-year-old Raumez S. Ross, also of St. Paul, on Sept. 9 outside the Winnipeg Grocery Market while the two "were disrespecting each other's gang," according to the criminal complaint.
Herndon agreed to plead guilty to second-degree unintentional murder and have two related felony counts dismissed.
The prosecution indicated it will pursue a 15-year term at sentencing, while the defense reserves the right to seek a shorter punishment for Herndon, who was 15 years old at the time of the shooting. Court records do not list a sentencing date.
According to the charges:
Gunfire about 4:30 p.m. brought police to the 800 block of Rice Street, where they found Ross facedown on the market floor. Medical personnel soon declared him dead. Store employees said Ross was shot outside, came inside and collapsed.
A motorist driving down Rice Street told police that she heard two males yelling back and forth across the street, with one of them saying, "You don't scare me."
She then saw Herndon draw a gun and shoot across the street at Ross and another male before running.
