Richfield man, 29, faces murder charge after shooting over alleged theft
RICHFIELD, Minn. — A 29-year-old man has been charged with second-degree unintentional murder after a shooting that stemmed from a claimed theft.
On Dec. 6 just before 4 a.m., Minneapolis police responded to a 911 call of a woman who appeared to have been shot, according to the criminal complaint. The caller reported the woman was in a parked Ford F-150.
Responding officers found the woman, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died from a single gunshot wound, authorities say.
Police reviewed gunshots reported in Richfield around 3:30 a.m. in the area of 6200 5th Ave. S. Charges say that, based on information from the caller who reported the shots fired, authorities spoke with the man.
He told police on Dec. 6 that he saw several people stealing items from his van that was parked in front of his home in Richfield, charges say. The man confronted the group, who drove away in a Ford F-150. While speaking to police on Dec. 6, the man did not mention having a gun.
According to charges, police spoke to the man again on Dec. 18. At that time, the man admitted to knowing shots were fired, and that he had a gun during the confrontation. He drove the gun up to his cabin in Aitken after the shooting because he thought it was best to "get it out of there."
The man told police the group of people were unarmed, and identified items of his that were located in the Ford truck.
He is now in custody.
Surveillance video shows the man rushing out of his home, yelling at the group in the van, and taking out a handgun, charges say. Video also shows the F-150 leaving the area.
Police used phone data to place the victim near the man's home around the time the shots fired call was made, and tracked her phone's movement from there to Minneapolis, where she was found.
