Shooting over alleged attack on woman leads to murder charges for St. Paul man
A man has been charged in the killing of another in St. Paul after an attack that was allegedly over the relationship status of a female.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man has been charged in the killing of another man in the Dayton Bluff neighborhood of St. Paul after an attack that was allegedly over the relationship status of a woman acquaintance.
Lazarus Lamar Burns II, 21, of St. Paul, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder for his role in the shooting.
According to charges, around 2 p.m., St. Paul Police were dispatched to the intersection of Third Street and Earl Street and found an unresponsive male in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Police spoke to multiple witnesses who were in the area that said they saw the victim get off a bus, run across the street to a bus shelter, and begin assaulting a woman, grabbing her hair and "smashing her face in." Both the woman and Burns were apprehended a few blocks later following the shooting, charges said.
When police spoke to the woman, she stated that she had been dating the victim on and off for approximately four years and that he routinely hit her, but she had never reported the assaults.
According to the charges, she had begun dating Burns a few days ago, and they were waiting at the bus stop when the victim ran up to her. She heard Burns yelling to "chill out" and that "you don’t got to do all that" while the shooting victim was assaulting her.
Following a Miranda warning, Burns agreed to speak to police and stated that he met the woman while working, and they had spent the last two nights together.
As they were waiting for a bus, Burns heard the female say "oh sh--" and saw a person run towards her and punch her in the face. Burns did not know the victim prior to the attack, according to charges, but heard him say "This my bi---, bro" beforehand.
Burns says he told the man to stop about three times, and that he has seen men abuse women numerous times.
He said he blacked out during the attack, then shot the victim. He also said he has a permit to carry from Wisconsin, according to the charges.