A 17-year-old was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for fatally shooting a recent Oakdale high school graduate during a drug deal in St. Paul last summer.
Da-Seion Pugh died trying to escape Jamar Alexander Brown Jr.’s gunfire, which broke out inside a car parked near a multi-family residence at Marion Street and Aurora Avenue just before 4 p.m. on June 24.
The 19-year-old was shot as he was trying to get out of the front seat. He collapsed and died shortly thereafter as he was running from the scene.
Brown Jr. was sentenced in Ramsey County District Court this week to more than 21 years in prison in Pugh’s death. The sentencing came after the juvenile was certified as an adult and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and two aggravated robbery counts, court records say.
His attorney, public defender Amanda Weitekamp, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Brown Jr.’s getaway driver that day, Merion Dontez Denton, was sentenced to 100 days in jail for aiding an offender. He’ll go to prison for about two years if he fails to follow the conditions of his probation.
Pugh picked up two acquaintances June 24 before driving to the St. Paul location to sell marijuana to Brown.
When they arrived, they saw Brown pull up in a tan vehicle driven by another man, legal documents say. He swiftly got out of that vehicle and got into the back seat of Pugh’s car.
After a brief discussion about the marijuana, Brown pulled out a handgun and demanded both the drugs and money be handed over.
One of the men gave him $250, but Brown started firing shots anyway.
Pugh’s two acquaintances were able to run from the car and avoid the shots. Pugh was struck in the back, upper arm and hand.
Brown was arrested after a police canine tracked him to a swampy area in Oakdale.
Pugh was remembered as a “beloved” son, brother, grandson and uncle in his obituary.
He graduated from Oakdale’s Tartan Senior High School last year and had been helping out his family and taking college courses prior to his death, his family said.
The oldest of eight children, he played basketball and football at Tartan and was a “laid-back, go-with-the-flow guy,” his stepmother previously told the Pioneer Press. He also enjoyed photography and drawing, and loved music and sports.