Star Tribune
‘He was a king:’ Grieving Minneapolis mother decries violence following son’s Memorial Day slaying
A grieving mother bowed her head as she described the vibrant spirit of her only son, an eighth-grader whose dreams were cut short in a Memorial Day shooting on Minneapolis’ North Side.
“He was a great blessing in my life,” Frances Davis told reporters during a news conference Wednesday evening at Shiloh Temple International Ministries. “My son was left in an alley for the garbage. My son was not trash. I need y’all to know my son had a beautiful smile. He was a king. He loved education and he loved life.”
Relatives gathered at the church to denounce the city’s latest act of gun violence and remember 14-year-old Alan Jermaine Davis — a talented athlete who loved to run and play basketball. Family members are now grappling to understand why anyone would want to extinguish the promising future of such a young boy.
Police officers responded to a shots-fired call Monday around 5:30 p.m. in an alley in the 3700 block of Bryant Avenue N., where they found Alan suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, where he later died.
A neighbor later told the family that they saw Alan walking down the street with two males who shot him and ran away.
The tragedy comes just three months after Alan’s mother removed him from Olson Middle School where, she says, he endured months of bullying by peers. He began attending school online, but still communicated with many of his former classmates. On Monday, relatives say he was lured out of his home with a Snapchat message by teens purporting to be his friends.
There was a rumor circulating that Alan had snitched on another boy in the community and teenagers confronted him about it, according to text messages shared with reporters. He denied the allegation in those exchanges.
“He wasn’t talking on anyone,” his mother insisted. “There’s no reason I should be making funeral arrangements. He was supposed to bury me.”
Relatives recalled seeing a rap video circulating on social media in the aftermath of the murder where kids appear to be referencing Alan’s death, saying “one down, one to go.”
Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the alleged motive in this case or answer questions about the ongoing investigation. As of Wednesday evening, no arrests had been made. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or crimestoppersmn.org.
As they wiped tears, Alan’s family members decried the proliferation of guns among the city’s youth and lamented the lack of services to keep wayward teens out of trouble.
“No matter who we cry out to for help, we have no programs. We have nothing for our youth to go to,” said Erie Brown, Alan’s great aunt. “There’s no help.”
Frank Davis recalled the last conversations he had with his grandson, when Alan professed a desire to drive a cab one day like his “Pop Pops.” Frank Davis broke down as he described his wish that he could take Alan’s place.
“I’ve lived a long life. Alan lived a short life. If I could ask God to take me, because Alan never did nothing wrong,” he said, weeping. Frank Davis also asked that the community to consider donating to the family’s GoFundMe to help raise enough for a proper burial.
But more than anything, the family wants closure — and accountability. They pleaded with the shooters directly to turn themselves in.
“Come forward. Please,” begged Alan’s older sister, Alicia Davis. “I can’t live without knowing the truth.”
The school said in its lawsuit that both Hugo and May Township consider the land rural residential zoning, and that the codes identify a school as a conditional use. Hugo officials have generally supported the LCA plan, granting a building permit in 2022 that allowed LCA to invest $2.1 million into the former Withrow school for renovations.
The school said in its lawsuit that the existing septic system is failing and needs to be replaced, regardless of expansion plans.
The school said it notified neighbors of the property in 2022 and again in 2023 about its land purchase. About 50 residents in total attended those meetings, and just two expressed concerns over the issues of traffic and lights, according to the suit. The school met with the May Township board in May of 2023, and minutes from that meeting show that the board had no concerns beyond lighting at the time, according to the suit. The board asked if the school could use “down lighting” for its athletic fields and the school said it would.
In June, Hugo City Council approved a conditional use permit for the school, but the May Township board voted to extend the decision deadline to early August.
The suit says it was at a subsequent meeting in July that May Town Board Chairman John Pazlar objected to the plan for the first time, saying “the main concern, based on public comment, is to keep Town of May rural.”
The school said its plans for the May Township portion of its property had been submitted eight months prior to the July meeting, and that its plans met requirements of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
DFL Rep. Angie Craig rode the 2018 blue wave to victory and has fended off close challenges for the last three terms by appealing to a broad swath of swing voters in the Second Congressional District.
All of her races have been close, but her tightest race so far was during the 2020 presidential election when she beat GOP Tyler Kistner by just over two points. Running in a presidential election year once again will put Craig’s mainstream appeal to the test and could determine whether the Second Congressional District remains one of the last swing seats in the state.
A majority of district voters have picked the winning presidential candidate each cycle since 2000. Some people describe them as independents, but Joe Atkins, a Dakota County commissioner from Inver Grove Heights, prefers “zig zaggers.”
“They work their way down the ballot and vote for people depending on whether they show up on bread and butter issues” like public safety, transportation and the economy, said Atkins, a former House DFLer. “It’s more about the candidate than the partisan leaning. It’s trended more blue, in recent years, but a Republican can definitely win in CD2.”
Craig will face off against GOP political newcomer Joe Teirab in November. He’s a former assistant federal prosecutor and Marine who hopes to turn out Republicans and convince those “zig zaggers” to give the Republican candidate a fresh look. Both candidates have considerable campaign war chests and backing from national groups.
But would a fourth-term win for Craig indicate the district is trending blue? The answer is not straightforward. Political observers think the district will remain a swing seat for the foreseeable future.
“I think we could see that over the past few elections it’s trending blue. It’s just still so close to 50/50,” said State Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley. “It’s not that long ago that we had a Republican member of Congress and some really hard-fought elections.”
Craig became only the second Democrat to hold the seat since the 1940s when she beat former Rep. Jason Lewis in 2018 by over five points in a rematch. And the race between Craig and Kistner was decided by 9,580 votes and by a little over 17,000 votes in their 2022 rematch.
Here are five Twin Cities places to watch the game:
Well, this is fitting. Brit’s Pub will embrace both its British and Minnesotan roots by hosting a watch party for the Vikings game, with doors opening at 7:30 a.m., along with beer and food specials. The game will be on all the screens, including those outside, as long as it’s not too cold.
Manager Danielle Kahle was confident about the Vikes’ chances on Sunday.
“5-0. And you can quote me, 5-0!” she said.
KFAN will be hosting the Purple Watch Party at Forgotten Star Brewery, featuring a 15-foot outdoor screen. KFAN’s Justin Gaard will be there, and there will be a Vikings game ticket giveaway.
Doors will open at 7 a.m., beer will be served at 8 a.m. and food will be available around the start of the game at 8:30 a.m.
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