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Chief O'Hara talks deadly Minneapolis shooting
A shooting along Lake Street in Minneapolis in broad daylight on Thursday left one man dead. Minneapolis PD Chief Brian O'Hara spoke with media members following the incident.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man is accused of fatally shooting another man in broad daylight during an attempted drug deal off Lake Street in Minneapolis last week.
What happened?
Minneapolis police responded around 2 p.m. on Aug. 15 to the shooting on 12th Avenue South at Lake Street.
Officers said a man had been shot in an alleyway and pronounced dead at the scene. According to police, an "altercation" between a group of people led to shots being fired. The victim was later identified as D'Shawn Porter, 26, of Inver Grove Heights.
Hennepin County prosecutors filed a second-degree murder charge on Wednesday against the alleged gunman, 21-year-old Angel Zavala Gallegos.
What's new?
The charges detail an attempted drug deal that ended with Gallegos allegedly firing a single shot, hitting Porter in the face:
- According to the complaint, witnesses told police that Porter had arrived in the area to buy drugs.
- Porter was directed to a parking lot behind a thrift shop at 12th and Lake Street.
- Police say Gallegos followed Porter.
- A witness with Porter said Gallegos pulled a small crack rock from his pocket. When Porter indicated he wanted more, the witness said Gallegos reached back into his pocket and pulled a gun.
- Gallegos allegedly fired a single shot, striking Porter in the face, then ran from the scene.
Why did it happen?
The charges don't outline a clear motive as to why Gallegos shot Porter. Police had initially said an altercation led up to the shooting, but that's not included in the charges.
However, a witness told police that she had urged Porter to move out of the area due to "past events". However, the charges don't elaborate on those past events.
How did police make an arrest?
In the complaint, police said they were able to pull a partial fingerprint off two surfaces the shooter touched.
While watching Gallegos' home, they spotted a man wearing the same facemask as the shooter, pacing around and talking on the phone. While he was talking, police heard the man say, "Shooting." When police attempted to arrest Gallegos, they say he ran but was ultimately arrested. Inside his home, police found clothing matching what the shooter wore.
What did the suspect say?
Speaking with investigators, police say Gallegos admitted to being in the area of the shooting, selling drugs. But he claimed he acted in self-defense.
First, Gallegos claimed he was approached by two people who started shooting at him. Then he said a "crackhead" had tried to rob him. Gallegos also claimed not to know Porter – despite using Porter's nickname when speaking with police.
According to the charges, Gallegos finally claimed that he was selling drugs to Porter when two other men pulled up in a car and shot Porter. When police told him surveillance video didn't show two men or a vehicle, he only admitted that "maybe there wasn't a car," the charges state.