16-year-old Charged in Fatal Shooting Outside Saint Paul Tobacco Shop

Sep 13

A 16-year-old teenager has been charged and a motion was filed to have him certified as an adult in connection with the fatal shooting of a man outside a Saint Paul tobacco store earlier this week.

Knyaw Taw, 16, is facing charges in the death of a 22-year-old Davion Brown, of Saint Paul.

Brown was shot multiple times in the parking lot of Maryland Tobacco on September 10, 2024. According to police, officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue East at 12:27 p.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire in the area.

Upon arriving, officers found Brown lying outside the business with multiple gunshot wounds. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but Brown was pronounced dead while en route to Regions Hospital. Brown was brought to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy determined the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Surveillance footage from the area shows Taw arriving on a bike before confronting a group standing outside the store. According to the footage, Taw briefly exchanged words with the occupants of a red Ford Expedition in the parking lot before approaching Brown and firing multiple shots at close range. Taw then fled the scene on his bike.

Police say a witness reported seeing a male matching the description of the suspect walking near Germain Street and Idaho Avenue East shortly after the shooting. Officers located the individual, later identified as Taw, who fled on foot but was apprehended after a brief chase. A handgun and a black face mask were recovered along the path Taw fled, and forensic testing linked the gun to shell casings found at the scene.

Taw initially provided officers with false identification but was later identified through fingerprint records, revealing a history of prior arrests in Ramsey County. Authorities confirmed Taw had an outstanding warrant at the time of the shooting.

Taw remains in custody, and prosecutors indicated they will seek to charge him as an adult. Taw is scheduled to make his initial court appearance this afternoon.

This marks Saint Paul’s 17th homicide of 2024. Police are urging anyone with additional information about the case to come forward.

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