Charges: Oakdale man killed teen in Minneapolis drive-by shooting

An Oakdale man armed with a so-called "ghost gun" is accused of murdering a teenager in a Minneapolis drive-by shooting last month, according to criminal charges.

Prosecutors in Hennepin County have charged Amariaun Antonio Thomas Thornton, 21, with four counts of second-degree murder and two counts related to drive-by shooting in connection with the July 7 death of 18-year-old Javon J. Stevenson, of Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis Police Department said officers responded to the shooting just before 8 p.m. that evening at Nicollet Avenue and East 27th Street, in the Whittier neighborhood's Eat Street area.

According to the criminal complaint, Stevenson was driven back home, four blocks away from the scene, after being shot in the chest. Officers performed CPR until medics arrived, and paramedics took him to HCMC, where he died shortly after.

A witness who had been driving Stevenson and two others said she saw a white SUV approach and heard gunshots after the three passengers exited the vehicle, charges state.

Surveillance footage of the shooting allegedly showed a white GMC Acadia approaching Stevenson before he is shot.

At least two of the others who were shot at fired back, charges state, with investigators determining at least five guns were fired at the scene.

Police contacted the registered owner of the vehicle seen on surveillance footage and confirmed Thornton had the car at the time of the murder.

Police also determined that his phone was connected to cell towers near the scene of the murder, charges state.

In a separate incident, officers recovered a 9mm "ghost gun" that matched discharged casings fired from Thornton's car.

Ghost guns are unique because they are made by the owner, are unregistered, and are hard to trace.

On August 7, officers responded to another shooting near a home on the 2900 block of Russell Avenue South in Minneapolis.

The shooter, identified as Thornton, had allegedly run back into the house after shooting, before breaking a window and fleeing on foot.

Officers arrested him shortly after and, with a search warrant for the house, found another 9mm ghost gun.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

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