Felon charged with fatally shooting woman as children watched in West St. Paul

A 21-year-old repeat felon fatally shot a woman in front of two young children outside a West St. Paul apartment complex, according to charges.

Steven D. Buford, of West St. Paul, was charged Tuesday in Dakota County District Court with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and illegal weapons possession in connection with the shooting of 22-year-old Lauren Summer Koffi-n'guessan.

At the time of the shooting, Buford was on supervised release after going to prison in 2016 for robbery and a weapons violation in Scott County.

He's also been convicted of possessing a weapon on school property, assault with a dangerous weapon and burglary.

Buford remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail ahead of a Sept. 22 court appearance. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

According to the criminal complaint:

Emergency dispatch sent police to a reported disturbance at Eagle Pointe Apartments in the 2044 block of Oakdale Avenue, where a man later identified as Buford, who lives there, jumped from a second-story balcony.

Officers soon heard a gunshot and saw Koffi-n'guessan on the ground with a gunshot wound. They then saw Buford running through the parking lot.

Moments later, officers heard a scream from a second woman who was standing near her car holding a baby. Her 7-year-old son was standing next to her.

Inside the car was Buford and the woman's 12-year-old son. Buford was arrested without incident, and a gun was recovered from inside the car.

The woman told police she had just parked her car outside the apartment building and saw Buford and Koffi-n'guessan arguing. Buford shot Koffi-n'guessan while the woman's children watched.

Buford then ran to the woman's car and "threw an infant at her," the charges read. The child was later determined to be Koffi-n'guessan's 15-month-old son.

Buford got in the car and yelled, "Come on guys, let's go!" while waving a gun, according to the charges, but police got to him before he could escape.

The complaint did not say whether Buford knew the woman with the car.