Man sentenced to 36 years in fatal gun battle outside bar in north Minneapolis

A Richfield man has been given a term of more than 36 years for killing a man during a gun battle nearly three years ago outside a Minneapolis bar that also left six people wounded.

Desean J. Solomon, 32, was sentenced Monday in Hennepin County District Court after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and related counts in connection with the shooting of Marcus Lashaun Banks Jr., 22, of Spring Lake Park, on June 14, 2020.

"This was a horrific, chaotic scene and I am grateful for a strong investigation that allowed us to hold Mr. Solomon accountable for this violence," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. "Mr. Solomon has a lengthy criminal history, but the community will now be safe from him for a long time."

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Solomon is expected to serve about 22 years of his term in prison and the balance on supervised release.

According to the charges:

The incident began at the Broadway Pub & Grille, 200 West Broadway, where a man was robbed inside by a Bloods gang member. Surveillance video showed the robbery victim entering the bar bathroom and then thrown out moments later with his shirt torn.

The man left the bar, and Solomon and two other men exit the bathroom soon afterward. Solomon started shooting once outside the bar.

Sometime after that, a running gun battle began, with most of the shots fired outside the 4th Street Saloon two blocks west of Broadway Pub & Grille.

Surveillance video captured Banks getting in a vehicle that passed Solomon's vehicle. Solomon got out of his vehicle and shot several times as Banks' vehicle drove by.

Banks was shot in the head, taken to HCMC hospital in Minneapolis and died there a day later.

About 100 people gathered in the street in front of the saloon as the shootout unfolded, and at least six people were wounded. Investigators recovered at least 100 discharged cartridge casings at the scene and noted that 12 different guns were used during the shootout.

Along with this case, Solomon's criminal history in Minnesota includes two convictions for robbery and one for witness tampering. He also has a 2019 assault charge pending in Hennepin County.