Charges: Innocent bystander on a date was 1 of 2 killed in shooting as Minneapolis bars closed

A 21-year-old man has been charged with killing two people and wounding others as people poured out of bars at closing time at a downtown Minneapolis intersection last year.

Lamarion Torando Shirley of Minneapolis was charged Thursday in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of illegal gun possession.

Lunden Marcel Woodberry, 21, of West St. Paul, and Benjamin Hezekiah Haggray, 20, who recently moved to downtown Minneapolis from Georgia, died from the gunfire that erupted shortly before 2 a.m. on Sept. 21 near N. 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue.

Two girls, ages 16 and 17, and a 23-year-old woman sustained noncritical injuries, police said. Also, a girl was struck by shrapnel.

Shirley remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of an Aug. 21 court appearance. The Star Tribune has reached out to his attorney for a response to the allegations.

According to the criminal complaint:

About 2 a.m., “multiple dozens of people were gathered outside of bars” in the streets and sidewalks near 5th and Hennepin, where “several small fights began breaking out,” the charges read.

A minute later, gunfire erupted outside the entrance to Exchange Night Club near the intersection and struck six people, including one wounded by shrapnel.

Near Woodberry’s body was a 9-millimeter “ghost gun” with no serial number and a “switch” that makes the weapon fully automatic. Law enforcement analysis determined that the switch had malfunctioned.

Police reviewed video surveillance and spotted a man later confirmed to be Shirley rushing into a crowd and “engaging with [Woodberry] in a threatening manner,” the charges continued. “[Woodberry] appears to be holding an item consistent with a firearm.”

Shirley continued to approach Woodberry while appearing to grip a gun. The two go off-camera, and gunshots were fired.

The other victims were bystanders who were not involved in the altercation.

“[Haggray] did not have a gun and has just moved to Minneapolis from another state, and was simply on a date downtown,” the charges noted.

The defendant was booked into the Hennepin County jail on March 3. Police questioned him about the shooting and showed an incriminating photo of him. He denied being in the photo and asked where investigators were getting their information.

Shirley’s criminal history in Minnesota also includes a conviction for drug dealing.