When 3 year old Terrell Mayes heard gunshots near his home in the 2600 block of Colfax Av. N. the day after Christmas, he did exactly what his mother had told him to do. He started to run up the stairs in an effort to hide in his bathtub for protection. Terrell only made it halfway up the stairs. His brother, at home at the time, would later tell police “why would somebody shoot my brother? He’s only a baby.”
Since the time of his murder, investigators have interviewed dozens and dozens of people and yet the person who took this 3 year old’s life has never been found. In the beginning, there were a ton of tips on this case but lately there hasn’t been much. Investigators spent time tracking down leads in the prisons that haven’t panned out.
If you have any information about who fired the stray bullet that pierced his home in the 2600 block of Colfax Av. N. on 26 December 2011, please contact investigators. They need information. They need your help.
Terrell’s mother needs to know why this happened.
If you have any information you might have with investigators by calling the MPD Tip Line at 612-692-TIPS (8477). You can also submit a tip through Crimestoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or texting “Tip747 plus your tip” to 274637.
From MnCrimeStoppers:
Special $60,000 Reward for Who Killed 3 Year Old Terrell Mayes
May 14, 2013
With specially donated funds and a partnership with Spotlight On Crime, a reward of up to $60,000 is available to help find who murdered Terrell Mayes just 3 years old. This partnership brings together monies from corporations that view this crime with deep concern by supporting the nonprofit Spotlight On Crime and donations to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota from individuals in communities across Minnesota as well as other states, as far away as New York.
A person coming forward with information that helps solve this tragic crime will qualify for a reward of up to $60,000 depending on how useful that information is. Both organizations and their broad base of supporters see this crime as heartless and seek the help of the public to come forward with information with the ability to remain anonymous. Information can be given to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota on this website here.
THE CRIME DETAILS:
On Monday, December 26, 2011 Police responded to a report of shots being fired in the area of 2600 Colfax Av. N. in Minneapolis. It was found that shots had penetrated the house where 3 year old Terrell Mayes, Jr. lived and where he with his youthful friends were running upstairs to seek protection from the shots they heard. One of those shots struck Terrell who was taken to the hospital where he died on the next day.
Minneapolis Police have determined that this was a random shooting and that there was nobody in the house nor the family who was the intended target.
If you have any information regarding the person or persons committing this crime you can come forward…remain anonymous…and may qualify for a reward. Please help Solve This Crime.
Mpls. police seek help finding killer of 3-year-old Terrell Mayes
Mother of 3-year-old slain in 2011 seeks answers in his death
By STEVE BRANDT Star Tribune | DECEMBER 21, 2015 — 11:35PM
Minneapolis police Monday appealed for anyone with knowledge that could solve the killing of 3-year-old Terrell Mayes to contact them, saying they’re confident someone has the information they need to solve the case.
Police and the boy’s mother, Marsha Mayes, said they’re reminded daily of the murder four years ago Saturday.
“It is one of those cases that the people behind me take personally,” Police Chief Janeé Harteau said at a news conference, her voice trembling slightly. “I keep Terrell’s picture on my desk to remind me.”
The case is being handled by a Cold Case Squad whose formation was announced by the department in September. Four investigators are assigned to the Mayes killing, the department said. There is a $60,000 reward for the person whose information solves the case. It is the sixth older case to be publicized on the department’s website, www.insidempd.com.
Mayes was killed the day after Christmas in 2011 by a stray bullet that hit him as gunfire erupted nearby. He was struck while running up the stairway of his house on the 2600 block of Colfax Avenue N.
His mother said she thinks multiple people know what happened that day. But she attributed their failure to come forward to shame. “Who wants to tell me to my face that they killed my child?” she said.
She also said she feels a lack of support from the activists who have been marching since the death last month of 24-year-old Jamar Clark. He was shot by police during an altercation at an ambulance on Plymouth Avenue N., sparking protests over whether the shooting was justified.
“I have a little resentment and bitterness and anger for my community,” she said, noting the absence of community pressure for the killer to come forward. “I see people marching for other stuff.”
“Colfax knows what happened. Dupont knows what happened,” she said, citing two blocks adjacent to the house were Terrell was shot. Mayes has since moved away from the block with her two older and two younger sons.
Asked if police think the shot originated on the block or farther away, Lt. Richard Zimmerman said the shooting was gang-related and, “It was near the house.”
“We need somebody in the community to come forward with that one piece of information that we need,” Commander Catherine Johnson said. “That’s what’s going to give our investigators the information they need.”
The Cold Case Squad was established to review dozens of unsolved murders in concert with representatives of the Hennepin County attorney’s office and the FBI, with whom detectives assigned to the squad meet monthly. They review what cases deserve a fresh look with more resources.
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