Man charged with murder in shooting of teen at Brooklyn Park birthday party
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A 31-year-old man is facing felony charges for the alleged "unprovoked" shooting of a teenager at a birthday party in Brooklyn Park.
Daniel Martez Walker, 31, was charged in Hennepin County court Wednesday with intentional second-degree murder and being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm in relation to the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old.
According to court records, officers responded to a hospital in Fridley just before 2 a.m. on June 2 for a 19-year-old shooting victim and learned he had died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
The 19-year-old was at a birthday party in a garage on the 9500 block of Thomas Avenue North in Brooklyn Park earlier in the night, charges said. He was sitting at a card table with several other people when Walker stood up from the table, allegedly pulled out a semiautomatic gun, and shot him once in the chest at close range.
Witnesses told police the shooting seemed unprovoked, and the teenager was "just sitting there, not even talking," right before being shot. Walker then left the house and someone at the party took the teenager to the hospital, charges explained.
Witnesses identified Walker in a lineup, and police found him inside an apartment building in Brooklyn Park. Authorities said Walker tried to jump off the third-story balcony when he spotted authorities but was taken into custody, according to charges.
Officers took him into custody and located a handwritten note, "Tell JoJo I sold the gun that had the body on it." While police were reviewing the note, walked allegedly snatched the paper from their hands, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed most of the note, charges said.
The tenant of the apartment told police prior to their arrival, Walker was allegedly showing him news articles about killing the teenager, but "got nervous and tried running away" when law enforcement arrived, charges said.
Authorities interviewed Walker who said there was a $50,000 bounty on his life and the 19-year-old may have known about it, charges allege. He claimed the teenager at the party pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him before he shot the victim. However, witnesses told police Walker was the only person seen with a gun at the party.
Law enforcement recovered the firearm they believed was used in the shooting and are waiting on forensic testing for confirmation.
Walker remains in custody at Hennepin County Jail and is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon.