Second Suspect in Fatal Shooting Taken into Custody

Another man has been charged in the death of Marcos Pantaleon, a 19-year-old Shakopee High student.

Justin Kenyatta Watson, 32, is charged with second-degree murder, aggravated robbery in the first-degree, and two counts of second-degree assault. Watson is the cousin of Steven Andre Moore, 27, a Minneapolis man who has also been charged with Pantaleon's death after the shooting, which occurred on Thursday, April 18.

On Monday, Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate said that authorities are pursuing leads on the third suspect.

According to the criminal complaint, Shakopee Police were called to Hunters Ridge apartment complex at 10:43 p.m. Officers found Miguel Pantaleon, 22, amid a crowd of people gathered outside the apartment on the third floor. He had been shot twice, in the left bicep and his right thumb.

Inside, police found Marcos A. Pantaleon lying face up on the living room floor, with a gunshot to his left side. He was declared dead at the scene. A third victim, a 17-year-old boy, was in the living room as well, shot in both legs. 

Miguel Pantaleon said that three men burst into the apartment, demanding money at gunpoint. He recognized only one of the suspects—Moore—who had been a neighbor and a customer until recently. Pantaleon said he'd sold Moore marijuana on previous occasions. According to witness accounts, one of the strangers shot the two Pantaleon brothers and a male cousin after a brief struggle.

Moore was the first to be arrested. Initially, he denied any involvement in the incident. En route to the Scott County Jail, Moore changed his story, however, and allegedly told police that two nameless Somali men had put a gun to his ribs and forced him to participate in the robbery. On April 20, investigators conducted a followup interview with Moore. During the interview, Moore changed his story yet again, saying his cousin "Boog" was involved.

Moore claimed that he didn't know his cousin's real name, but Moore's ex-fiancee identified "Boog" as Watson. Moore's father confirmed that Watson was his son's cousin and gave investigators Watson's phone number. Police say that the GPS device in Watson's phone shows that he was at Hunters Ridge Apartments at the time of the slaying.

Phone records also revealed a number of communications between Moore and Watson that night.

Both Moore and Watson are currently in custody at the Scott County Jail. The jail website states that Watson is being held on a $1.5 million bond. 

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