Long sentence for Twin Cities man who kept shooting even as dying victim was falling

A long prison term was given Tuesday to a 23-year-old man who kept shooting even as his dying victim was falling to the ground in a Minneapolis neighborhood.

Michael Tiwain Garrett of Minneapolis was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the death on May 16, 2024, of Di’jon Chase Legore-Banks, 32, of Blaine in the 1100 block of Morgan Avenue N.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Garrett is expected to serve roughly 16½ years prison and and the balance of his 25½-year term on supervised release.

Following sentencing, County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement that “Mr. Garrett involved himself in an altercation and escalated it needlessly by resorting to extreme violence.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office found that Legore-Banks had been shot eight times, including in the head and chest, the criminal complaint noted.

Garrett’s criminal history in Minnesota includes being found guilty as a juvenile for burglary, and convictions as an adult for illicit drugs, illegal weapons possession, domestic assault and disorderly conduct.

According to the complaint:

Garrett got out of a vehicle and unleashed gunfire while striding ever closer to Legore-Banks.

Witnesses said Legore-Banks stepped in moments earlier and said something to one of at least five women who were fighting. The brawl began after two of the women, one of them being Garrett’s mother, had a dispute “over finances,” the charges read.

That’s when Garrett arrived and started shooting “even as [Legore-Banks] fell to the ground,” the complaint added.