Prison Inmate Faces 2020 Murder Warrant

Melvonte Lee Peterson, 35, is already behind bars for illegal firearm possession, but he is set to be released in early November. That timeline has shifted after Hennepin County issued a murder warrant for a killing that occurred more than six years ago.

The charge stems from an incident on Aug. 31, 2020, at the intersection of 30th Avenue North and Penn Avenue North in Minneapolis. Police responded to a shotspotter alert around 4:23 p.m. and found a man shot in the head and left thigh. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Witnesses reported seeing a black vehicle and a silver car speed away from the scene. Surveillance video from a nearby gas station captured the two vehicles stopping minutes before the shooting. Footage showed Peterson exiting the silver car and then re-entering it. Court documents state he was the only person inside that vehicle at the time.

Investigators interviewed a man who had been driving the black car. He told police he was following Peterson’s silver vehicle after they both left the gas station. The driver said he saw the victim walking near the street before Peterson stopped and began firing.

Police recovered a gun on Sept. 19, 2020, from another man who is believed to have obtained it from Peterson. Ballistics tests linked the firearm to the shooting, according to court records. Phone data also placed Peterson at the gas station and the crime scene during the relevant time frames.

Peterson is currently serving his sentence for possessing an illegal firearm. The new warrant for his arrest will be processed upon his release from prison.