Attempted murder suspect charged locally
An Owatonna man out on bond in an attempted murder case is facing new charges after authorities say he drove more than 70 mph through city limits, then rammed a Steele County Sheriff’s Office squad car.
Lavant Marques Shaw, 18, was arrested in mid-July for his alleged role in a shooting July 3 at a large party outside of Truman.
He was originally charged in Martin County District Court with four counts of aiding and abetting attempted second-degree murder, four counts of aiding and abetting second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of furnishing a dangerous weapon. All are felonies.
Conditional bail was eventually set at $200,000. A non-cash bond of $20,000 was posted Aug. 2, court documents show, and he was released from custody in Martin County.
On Aug. 20, a Steele County deputy was eastbound on U.S. Highway 14 near the intersection of Austin Road when he saw a westbound SUV. Radar indicated the SUV was traveling at 95 mph.
The deputy turned around to drive east and saw the SUV turn north onto Austin Road, then make a left onto 22nd Street. The officer activated his lights and sirens, and the SUV accelerated away.
The driver, later identified as Shaw, allegedly ran the stop sign at 22nd Street and Hartle Avenue, as well as the one at 22nd Street and Cedar Avenue – where he turned south and drove onto the on-ramp for Hwy. 14 west.
Once on the highway, the SUV accelerated to over 100 mph, the criminal complaint says, and continued at that speed as it took the on-ramp for northbound Interstate 35.
According to the deputy’s report, Shaw “braked aggressively” near the Lemond Road overpass, but continued driving north. He took the off ramp to Bridge Street and ran the stop sign at the top, the report continues.
Shaw turned left onto Bridge Street, then allegedly made a U-turn, and drove straight toward the deputy’s squad car.
The two vehicles collided, and Shaw reportedly attempted to reverse the SUV as the deputy maintained contact with it. The vehicle went over the curb on the south side of Bridge Street, rolled down the hill and came to a stop between the southbound on-ramp and I-35.
According to the complaint, Shaw got out of the SUV and ran toward the interstate but was caught soon after.
Once in custody, Shaw reportedly failed field sobriety tests. A breath sample indicated a blood alcohol content at .10.
He was charged the next day in Steele County District Court with one count each of felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and misdemeanor DWI.
That same day, the Martin County Attorney filed a motion to amend the criminal complaint against Shaw in the July 3 shooting.
Instead of the aid and abet charges, Shaw is now facing five counts of attempted second-degree murder; one count of first-degree assault; four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon; one count of attempted second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon; and one count of reckless discharge of a dangerous weapon. All are felonies.
The charges stem from an incident just before midnight on July 4, when officers responded to a property in rural Truman for a report of a shooting.
Four people had been shot; three were taken from the scene by ambulance. The other victim was taken by an independent party to the hospital in Fairmont. Two were treated and released; two were hospitalized but have since been released.
Officers were able to find four spent 9 mm shell casings at the scene.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, the gathering was promoted on social media and drew hundreds of people from throughout the area.
Several witnesses told investigators that two people were involved. Shaw was seen arguing with one of the victims prior to the shooting.
According to the criminal complaint, multiple people reported seeing Shaw pass a handgun to Matthew Mohamed Davis, also of Owatonna, during the argument.
One witness said shortly before the shooting began, Davis reportedly passed the gun back to Shaw.
Davis was arrested Aug. 24 and faces 11 aiding and abetting felony counts and a single count of furnishing a dangerous weapon.
Davis remained in custody in Martin County in lieu of $300,000 conditional bail. His initial appearance was set to be Tuesday.
Several witnesses who saw the handgun being fired described a person matching Shaw’s description that evening, court documents say.
The four victims taken to the hospital were in the general vicinity of the person with whom it was reported Shaw was arguing.
That person – the fifth victim – had a collapsed lung and “a decimated left shoulder” as a result of being shot, the complaint says.
One of the witnesses described exchanging messages with Shaw, who allegedly apologized for shooting one of the victims.
He was expected to appear in Martin County on the amended criminal complaint on Monday. His conditional bail in the local case was set at $40,000.