Man found guilty in Dinkytown double homicide, set to serve life in prison

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man was found guilty on Friday for his role in a December 2023 double homicide shooting in Dinkytown. 

Dinkytown double homicide guilty verdict

What we know:

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced that 27-year-old Maleek Jabril Conley was found guilty by a jury of the fatal shooting in Minneapolis. 

Conley was convicted of two counts of premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of intentional second-degree murder, one count of attempted premeditated first-degree murder, one count of attempted intentional second-degree murder and one county of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. 

What they're saying:

"Mr. Conley involved himself in an altercation in a tobacco shop, firing at his victims at close range," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement following the decision. "This was an act of extreme violence that took the lives of two individuals and injured two others. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who were killed that day, and with those who survived. We are holding Mr. Conley accountable for his actions."

The backstory:

Two people died and another was wounded when a man shot them inside a Dinkytown tobacco store around 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2023.

Police responded to the shooting in the 400 block of 14th Avenue Southeast in Minneapolis and found two dead men who were shot in the head and the neck.

A third victim, a store employee, was shot in the buttocks. 

The victim told investigators the two men who were shot dead walked into the store with a group right before the shooting. People in that group then began arguing, then fist-fighting.

It was during that time that a gunman walked into the store, and, according to the criminal complaint, began firing at specific people in the group. 

The employee was reportedly struck when the gunmen missed one of the men in the group.

Another store employee then hit the panic button, which locked the store, causing the gunman to shoot out the door's glass and crawl out.

The complaint states the shooter then left with four other males in a Kia, which was later found to be stolen. 

What's next:

Conley is set to be sentenced on June 2, where he will receive the mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, due to his first-degree murder convictions.