Man dies from punch after friend refused to buy self-proclaimed gangster a drink

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man is charged with murder and other crimes for allegedly punching another man in Minneapolis last week and causing him to hit his head on the sidewalk, according to court documents. 

That man, Coby Levan Richardson, 42, from Minneapolis, is now charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, threats of violence and fifth-degree assault. 

He was arrested on Feb. 19, the day after the victim died, and is currently in custody. 

Minneapolis assault

Big picture view:

Minneapolis police say they responded to the 2500 block of Lyndale Avenue South around 12:20 p.m. on Feb. 15 for a reported assault.

Police then found a man who was lying on his back in the parking lot. 

The criminal complaint states the man was then taken to the hospital to be treated for a facial laceration, a skull fracture and associated brain bleed. 

The man then died three days later, on Feb. 18, but an official autopsy is still pending. Richardson was arrested the next day. 

Investigators spoke to another man at the scene, referred to in the complaint as "Victim 2," who said he was with the man who was hospitalized when they were attacked.

The man told police that he and the other victim ran into the suspect in the parking lot, and that he recognized him from a confrontation that happened weeks earlier.

According to the criminal complaint, he told police that Richardson said, "I will end you. I am going to kill you," before punching him in the face. Richardson reportedly then punched the man, who would later die from head injuries. 

The complaint states the man fell to the ground and hit his head on the cement sidewalk, causing him to lose consciousness.

Richardson then left the area in a vehicle.

Investigators say video surveillance footage corroborated the report.

Richardson is currently in custody at Hennepin County Jail. 

Previous threats of violence 

The backstory:

A witness to the incident, a brother of Victim 2, told police he was inside a vehicle in the parking lot during the assault. 

The witness then identified Richardson from a six-person lineup as the man who assaulted the other two. 

The complaint states the witness told police he recognized Richardson from an incident on Jan. 25 when he was having a drink with his brother about four blocks away from the assault. 

The witness told police Richardson approached them and demanded they buy him a drink. They refused, and Richardson reportedly claimed he was a Gangster Disciple from Chicago who served time in federal prison. 

The complaint adds that other people with Richardson "looked at the brothers and made trigger-pulling motions with their fingers." The witness said they felt threatened, so they left. 

Richardson then reportedly "resumed the conflict" when he ran into the victims on Feb. 15.