A violent Minneapolis gang member has been sentenced to life in prison in connection to the killing of an innocent bystander mistaken for a rival gang member in the summer of 2021 on the city’s north side.
Gregory Hamilton, 29, was convicted by a jury earlier this year on murder and racketeering in the U.S. Attorney’s sprawling Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act case involving several Minneapolis gangs, whose violent activity spiraled following Gov. Tim Walz’s pandemic lockdowns and the death of George Floyd. Dozens of defendants have been charged in the cases.
According to court documents and details contained in a press release issued by U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, Hamilton is a violent member of the Minneapolis criminal street gang known as the Highs. He was convicted following a three-week trial on RICO conspiracy and premeditated murder for his involvement in the Highs gang and the Aug. 8, 2021, murder of Darryl Wells, Jr., an innocent bystander who was mistaken for a rival gang member.
The shooting of Wells was one of several shootings and murders that took place over just several hours during that summer as the gang turf war raged. Part of Wells’ shooting was captured on surveillance video from inside a market. The video showed at least two suspects exit the store, one of them appearing to fire a gun at someone running away, while a vehicle backed away from the area. A Porsche, later confirmed to have been stolen from Uptown Minneapolis, was seen speeding away from the area.
"Dispute."
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) August 9, 2021
Other evidence presented at trial proved that members of the Highs committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. As members of the Highs, the defendants were expected to retaliate against the rival Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue.
On Aug. 7, 2021, prominent Highs gang member Prince Hinton (aka Prince Martin) was shot and killed by a Lows gang member at the Winner gas station, a Highs hangout on the corner of West Broadway and Lyndale Avenue North. The following day, Aug. 8, 2021, Highs members organized a memorial for Hinton at the gas station, where they distributed firearms and encouraged one another to retaliate against Lows members. Hamilton attended the memorial with two other co-defendants, Keon Pruitt and Dantrell Johnson.
Later that day, Hamilton and Johnson drove to a Lows hangout—Wally’s Foods—and shot a Lows associate, who survived his injuries. Approximately two hours later, Johnson, Hamilton, and Pruitt drove to Skyline Market, another known Lows hangout, where they were “hunting” Lows and wanted to shoot Lows members. They mistakenly believed Wells was a Lows member—he was not—and the store’s cameras captured them shooting Wells inside the store. Wells ran from the store. Pruitt, who was driving two juveniles in the stolen Porsche, chased Wells a short distance. The two juveniles then jumped out of the car, chased Wells into a nearby alley, and fired additional shots at him. All told, Wells was shot at least eight times.
Gunshot audio believed to be from the shooting was later posted online that indicated automatic burst gunfire.
Gunshot audio in which gunfire "bursts" can be heard.https://t.co/reb96UVwPy
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) August 9, 2021
The jury convicted Hamilton, Johnson, and Pruitt of RICO conspiracy and using a firearm to cause death.
Judge Nancy Brasel imposed what the government requested at sentencing—a life sentence. In doing so, Judge Brasel observed, “This was gang revenge, pure and simple.” Judge Brasel noted that the evidence at trial showed that Hamilton is “a shooter for the Highs” and that he killed Darryl Wells “in a horrific and barbaric manner.” She explained that the victims of the Highs violence—which turned north Minneapolis into “an open-air shooting range”—were not just Wells but also the many members of the community who were also bystanders to this violence, the U.S. Attorney’s press release said.
In imposing the life sentence, Judge Brasel concluded, “A lesser sentence would not honor and protect members of this neighborhood who were terrorized” by the violence of the Highs. As one concerned community member wrote to the Court, “Whether it be from violence with guns, drug sales, a combination of both, we have been preyed upon enough as a community.”
These cases against the Highs are a result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to this investigation through reports or evidence control.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
