A St. Paul man was charged Monday with homicide after authorities say he fatally shot a person final week throughout a battle over stolen liquor.
Trinis Derrell Edwards, 49, was charged in Ramsey County District Courtroom with two counts of intentional second-degree homicide.
In keeping with the felony criticism, simply earlier than 10 p.m. Dec. 27, St. Paul police officers were called to Big Discount Liquor at 945 Rice St. on a report of a shooting.
They arrived to seek out Kenneth L. Davis Jr., 44, on the bottom within the strip mall car parking zone affected by a gunshot wound to his chest. Officers discovered two .40-caliber shell casings close to him.
Davis was taken to Areas Hospital, the place he died about 4 hours later. The Ramsey County health worker’s workplace decided he died on account of lack of blood due to a wound to the stomach.
Police realized that Davis had tried to cease Edwards from stealing a bottle of vodka from the shop and had confronted him. When Edwards mentioned he had a gun, Davis confirmed him his gun. The 2 tussled out the door and into the car parking zone, in accordance with the fees.
In keeping with witnesses and video surveillance, Edwards appeared to threaten Davis with pepper spray, and the 2 males obtained right into a heated alternate. Edwards grabbed Davis’ shoulders and Davis tried to take away his handgun from his jacket whereas wrestling with Edwards. Davis’ handgun fell to the bottom. When Davis reached to retrieve the gun, Edwards pushed him away, picked up the gun and shot Davis twice, in accordance with the fees.
A liquor retailer worker informed police that Davis was an everyday buyer who was protecting of the shop. He additionally mentioned Edwards had been within the retailer earlier than when he didn’t find the money for to pay for his purchases, the criticism states.
On New 12 months’s Day, police tracked Edwards to a Motel 6 on Outdated Hudson Highway and went there with a search warrant and a SWAT staff. Edwards wouldn’t allow them to in and mentioned he had weapons, in accordance with Steve Linders, a police spokesman.
A girl within the resort room adopted SWAT staff instructions and exited the room, however Edwards barricaded himself inside the lavatory. Officers had been unable to influence him to offer himself up, so the lavatory door was compelled open and pepper balls had been deployed to be able to take him into custody, in accordance with the fees.
The lady within the resort room informed police that Edwards confessed to her that he had shot somebody, saying, “It was him or me,” in accordance with the criticism.
He informed her he didn’t need to return to jail and spoke of suicide by cop, in accordance with the fees.
Edwards has a felony historical past courting again to 1990. He has been convicted of test forgery, weapons costs, fleeing police, making terroristic threats, assault, DWI and 10 convictions for both home assault or violating a no-contact order.
He’s set to make his first look in court docket Tuesday.
Mara Gottfried contributed to this report.
