Alleged ‘Highs’ gang member tied to Mall of America killing now charged in two different murders

A series of gang-related killings have been tied to a Coon Rapids man who is now charged in two murders that occurred shortly after he was placed on probation as a juvenile for his role in the only murder to happen at the Mall of America.

Marquan Tucker, 20, was charged Monday with two counts of second-degree murder for the killing of Patrick Henderson in Minneapolis on July 30, 2023. A suspect in Henderson’s killing had evaded Minneapolis police despite dozens of witnesses being outside an after-hours nightclub in north Minneapolis when Henderson was shot 10 times.

That killing came a month after Tucker was found guilty in juvenile court for third-degree riot and placed on probation for his role in the 2022 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Johntae Hudson inside the Nordstrom department store at the Mall of America.

Last December, Tucker was charged with murder and attempted murder in a drive-by-shooting in Brooklyn Park. He faces six counts of second-degree murder for that crime, including murder in association with a criminal gang. Bail was set at $1 million in that case and Tucker has been held in the Hennepin County jail since his arrest.

The two victims in that shooting returned fire; one was wounded and the other, Ramone Blue, 23, of Stewartville, Minn., was killed.

At a first court appearance Tuesday, Tucker declined to argue bail on the new murder charge. He is being represented by Frederick Goetz in the murder trial for Blue’s death, but Goetz is not representing him on the new charge. It was mentioned in court that Tucker’s family is looking for another private attorney for this case.

Prosecutors allege that Tucker is a member of the 045s, which is affiliated with the Highs gang in the Twin Cities, and that his targeted victims were members of the rival Lows gang.

The charges against Tucker in Henderson’s murder in 2023 detail how police investigators identified him as a suspect after his arrest in the Brooklyn Park killing.

Earlier this year, two witnesses told police that Tucker had confessed to the shooting in 2023. State and federal investigators used Tucker’s Facebook and cellphone history to show that Tucker was near the nightclub when Henderson was shot. Ten minutes after the shooting he messaged a female friend who was also at the party.

“He past?????” Tucker allegedly wrote.

“Yup ... It’s yellow tape,” the woman allegedly responded.

Two hours later, Tucker allegedly searched Henderson’s name on Facebook then posted a video of Henderson lying dead on the ground “with captions celebrating” Henderson’s death.

In the Brooklyn Park killing from 2024, Tucker had allegedly tracked his victims by watching their Facebook stories that showed them at a shopping plaza. He then drove to the plaza, waited for his victims to leave the store and shot them.

The criminal charges detail the gang rivalry of the victims and Tucker through various social media posts, including rap videos and posts displaying gang signs and celebrating the deaths of rival members. Tucker also has a “4″ tattooed on his right shoulder and “5″ on his left.

In the 2022 shooting at Mall of America, Tucker allegedly blocked Hudson from going up an escalator, forcing him in a different direction where he was shot and killed. Lavon Longstreet and TaeShawn Adams-Wright pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder for Hudson’s killing.

Longstreet and Tucker were 17 at the time. Adams-Wright had recently turned 18.

Adams-Wright and Longstreet, whom Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty had tried as an adult, received prison sentences of more than 30 years.

Tucker was found guilty in juvenile court for aiding and abetting third-degree riot, a gross misdemeanor in June 2023. He appealed that conviction and the state Court of Appeals affirmed the guilty finding.

After being placed on probation but before being charged with murder in 2024, Tucker was arrested several times and charged with domestic assault, disorderly conduct, possessing a machine gun and fleeing police.

The charges for domestic assault, disorderly conduct and machine gun possession had been dismissed.

His jury trial for the 2024 murder is set to begin in October.