A repeat felon has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of fatally shooting a 37-year-old St. Paul man on a downtown light-rail platform in 2022.
After a two-week trial, a jury on Monday convicted Shawn Michael Tillman, 35, of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of Demitri G. Ellis-Strong, who was shot six times at the Green Line Central Station on Fifth Street between Cedar and Minnesota streets on May 20, 2022. Prosecutors described the murder as “particularly callous.”
Shawn Michael Tillman (Courtesy of Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
Jurors also found Tillman guilty of second-degree intentional murder and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person.
Ramsey County District Judge Sara Grewing then gave the 35-year-old life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence for premeditated murder.
A sister of Ellis-Strong gave a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing, describing him as a man who loved his family and left behind many family members who loved him and miss him.
In a Tuesday statement, Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III said Tillman “committed the most heinous of crimes and we are pleased that justice was served.”
Prosecutors dismissed four additional pending court cases that Tillman allegedly committed in the weeks leading up to the murder — three first-degree aggravated robberies and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon. The cases were filed after Tillman was in custody on the murder charge, giving investigators new leads and evidence, according to court records.
Five months before the killing, Tillman, of St. Paul, was charged with indecent exposure stemming from an alleged incident at the Capitol/Rice Street light-rail platform. He was arrested on a warrant on April 25 and released four days later after the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, posted his $2,000 bond.
Tiillman had three prior felony convictions: indecent exposure in the presence of a minor, fourth-degree assault and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person.
Surveillance video
Officers were sent to the Green Line Central Station around 4:15 a.m. on a shooting and found Ellis-Strong lying on the light-rail platform with gunshot wounds to his head and body. About 10 minutes later, he was pronounced dead.
A witness told police he heard two gunshots followed by two more gunshots. The witness said he looked outside and saw a man with a handgun standing over another man and that the gunman fired three times before fleeing on foot.
Officers located a man who had been with the gunman before the shooting. He told police he does not know the shooter’s name, just knows him from around the area and that the shooter and the victim “have a beef,” the criminal complaint states.
Surveillance video captured the shooting and shows Tillman approach Ellis-Strong and pull out a handgun, according to the complaint. As Ellis-Strong took a few steps backward, Tillman raised the gun and fired it, sending Ellis-Strong backward into a sign and then to the ground.
Tillman then walked closer and fired twice more, according to the complaint. As Ellis-Strong shielded himself with an arm, Tillman fired at his head.
Investigators found a face covering that fell from Tillman’s pocket as he fled the scene, the complaint says.
An officer who watched the surveillance video believed the shooter was possibly Tillman, who was a suspect in two indecent exposure cases and a criminal sexual conduct case that the officer was investigating. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension examined the face covering and the DNA profile matched Tillman’s convicted offender sample, the charges say.
A day after the killing, Tillman was seen by Metro Transit police in St. Paul and arrested with assistance from St. Paul police. He declined to provide a statement to investigators.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund said in an Aug. 25, 2022, statement “we strive to balance pre-trial justice with community safety” when deciding to post bond for someone charged with a crime and in custody. Its “post-release team” attempted to contact Tillman, “as they do all our clients upon release, to offer resources and support,” according to the statement.
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