Earl Bennett Sentenced To 86.5 Years For Fatal Shooting At Minneapolis Homeless Encampment

A Minnesota court handed down a major sentence for 41-year-old Earl Bennett, ordering him to serve 86.5 years in prison after he was found guilty of killing three people in a shooting incident in a Minneapolis homeless encampment in October 2024.

In December 2025, a jury in Hennepin County convicted Bennett of three counts of second-degree intentional murder. This week, the sentencing hearings were held, underscoring the severity of the crime and the impact on the community.

Prosecutors described the incident as a 'callous act of extreme violence' that shattered families and harmed the at-risk community residing in the encampments near the 4400 Block of Snelling Avenue adjacent to the railroad tracks.

The conviction follows a string of shootings at similar outdoor shelters around Minneapolis, which drew widespread public concern regarding the safety and violence in the areas where homeless people took refuge.

What Led to Bennett's Conviction

During the trial, jurors were shown graphic surveillance footage depicting Bennett's arrival at the encampment, where authorities say he opened fire with multiple shots into a small tent where the victims were residing.

According to CBS News, the court documents reveal that two victims – Christopher Martell Washington, 38, of Fridely, and Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr., 32, of Brooklyn Center – were found dead at the scene, while 35-year-old Samantha Jo Moss of St. Louis Park succumbed to her injuries in the hospital a few days later.

Witness statements described Bennett wearing a balaclava-style mask and identifying one of the victims by a nickname before entering the tent. Following the sound of gunfire, footage recorded the suspect escaping the scene on an electric bike.

This prompted the investigators to later link him definitively to the murders through ballistic evidence and matching bullet casings found at the scene and during later encounters.

Impact, Legal Response To Encampment Violence

In Kare11's interview during the sentencing hearing with Lemons Jr.'s mother, one of the victims, 'When the mom stood up, I was crying, I prayed because like I said, you still get to see your son – I don't,' she stated. This was Lemons Jr.'s mother's reaction when Bennett's mother stood and yelled at the court that his son is not a murderer.

The deaths of Washington, Lemons Jr., and Moss took place within a larger pattern of violence affecting Minneapolis's homeless encampments.

City leaders and local law enforcement officials have consistently raised concerns about public safety in encampments, prompting multiple responses from social services and police units focused on reducing violence and connecting vulnerable individuals to housing and resources.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, whose office prosecuted the case, said that the nature of the crime was ruthless, while also emphasising the emotional toll it brought to the family of the victims.

Bennett's case is a part of a string of criminal incidents tied to Minneapolis homeless encampments, where officers have periodically responded to shootings and violent fights.

A 2024 AP report noted that several shootings occurred in separate encampment locations, with law enforcement citing factors such as drug use, mental health challenges, and a lack of stable shelter as underlying contributors to the ongoing safety challenges in these areas.