Victim of restaurant shooting charged in earlier shootout

A 28-year-old Minneapolis man, who was the victim of a downtown shooting Saturday, has been charged with felon in possession, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

The single count against Demilo Martin is the result of a gunfight on June 15 when at least 50 shots were fired. Martin is expected to make his first court appearance Monday.

Martin was one of two people who suffered non-critical injuries about 2 a.m. July 13 at the Crave American Kitchen & Sushi Bar when someone fired shots on the bar’s rooftop restaurant.

“Mr. Martin is well-known to police,” Freeman said. “They did a fine job investigating the case and if we are successful in prosecuting him, he should be sentenced to a mandatory five years in prison. In the meantime, Minneapolis police can continue investigating him for other violent crimes as well as identify a suspect in the restaurant shooting.”

According to the criminal complaint, just before 5 a.m. on June 15, a shootout occurred in and around 2303 Kennedy St. NE in Minneapolis. Police recovered 51 discharged cartridge casings and identified bullet holes in several vehicles and multiple buildings. They concluded it was a shootout between several rival street gangs.

As part of the investigation, police recovered surveillance video of Martin approaching the building and removing a black semi-automatic pistol from his pants pocket. Martin then ejected the magazine and reinserted it and before entering the building.

Police also know Martin is a member of the Young N’ Thuggin’ street gang and has been involved in, or witness to, several recent gang-related shootings, the complaint states. On Tuesday, officers encountered Martin and showed him photos from the video recovered at the shootout. Martin admitted he was the person in the photo and that he had a gun when he entered the building.

Court records show that Martin was convicted two previous times for prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He has been prohibited from possessing a gun since a juvenile adjudication in 2005 for criminal sexual conduct, according to the criminal complaint.

Martin Criminal Complaint (PDF)