Murder charges pending against man, 25, accused of Lyndale Av. gunfire, killing near Willmar

A murder charge could come as soon as Thursday against a 25-year-old man who’s accused of firing shots from an apartment balcony in the heart of Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood before he fled and shot two people near Willmar, Minn., as he attempted in vain to evade law enforcement in a high-speed chase.

The suspect, who is from Hopkins, remains held without bail in the Kandiyohi County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with a shooting Tuesday afternoon.

Kandiyohi County Attorney Shane Baker said he’s not expecting to file charges Wednesday. Charges are also pending in Hennepin County stemming from the early afternoon gunfire. The Minnesota Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged. Minnesota court records show nothing in the man’s criminal background other than a minor drug paraphernalia conviction and numerous parking and driving violations.

Also on Wednesday, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday identified the person who was killed as Jerome Skluzacek, 55, of New London, Minn. The Kandiyohi Sheriff’s Office identified the person who was wounded and expected to survive as Peter Mayerchak, 25, of Lake Lillian, Minn.

Tuesday’s events unfolded shortly before 1 p.m., when police were called to an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Lyndale Avenue S., where the man fired off several rounds into the street from the building’s top floor.

Police shuttered the busy intersection and surrounding blocks from W. 28th to Lake streets in the densely populated commercial and residential corridor as they attempted to negotiate his surrender.

According to a Tuesday night release from the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office, the man traveled west through several counties and then shot and injured a man at a rural Kandiyohi County residence. Police say the suspect then fatally shot a motorist he attempted to carjack at the Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 23 bypass southeast of Willmar. Police were eventually able to take the man into custody. He was jailed in Kandiyohi County on charges that include murder.

“Today, multiple lives were put in harm’s way, with one person sadly losing their life,” Kandiyohi County Sheriff spokesperson Imran Ali said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. Please continue to hold the victims, their families and our first responders in your prayers today.”

The Kandiyohi Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that several deputies and the sheriff witnessed the gunfire in their county.

Bystanders observing the scene in Minneapolis recalled hearing the female negotiator pleading with the suspect to surrender.

“They were definitely making a concerted effort to convince [the suspect] they wouldn’t hurt him,” a witness, who asked not to be identified, told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “It sounded like he didn’t trust what they were saying.”

When shots rang out over the phone, the negotiator dropped to her knees and cried. Colleagues could be seen comforting her.

“After he left Minneapolis, it appears some crimes — some tragedies — occurred outside the city, in western counties,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a news briefing without offering specifics.

“It has been a busy day here in the city,” O’Hara said. “This was a very taxing situation that I know is weighing especially heavy on our crisis negotiators, who were on the phone with this individual. Our officers did absolutely everything they could. But it appears clear that this person was homicidal and just bent on committing violence.”

O’Hara said the shots in Minneapolis were fired shortly after an altercation involving the man’s ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, who arrived to the apartment to retrieve some items. The man and the woman share a child, who was at day care at the time. Police rushed there to ensure the child’s safety shortly after the suspect fled. The ex-girlfriend and the boyfriend were also not harmed.

O’Hara said that when police initially responded, it was unclear whether the suspect was still inside the apartment. There was no indication of a domestic violence history between the pair.

According to the emergency dispatch audio, the suspect fled the metro, and at 2:03 p.m., a shooting was reported at an address on Hwy. 7 outside Lake Lillian in Kandiyohi County. Minutes later, a deputy radioed that a victim was in the house with a gunshot wound to the chest.

At one point, an officer or dispatcher radioed that the suspect was the man from Minneapolis: “He did just discharge a weapon … and he did say he was willing to shoot cops. Proceed cautiously.”

A short time later, the suspect was leading police on a chase of speeds of more than 100 mph while on the phone with the Minneapolis negotiator, threatening “suicide by cop.”

Police were prepared to place stop sticks to deflate the suspect’s tires and were in contact with OnStar to disable the vehicle when he bailed and was “attempting to steal another car,” an officer radioed. At 2:27 p.m., another motorist was reported with a gunshot wound to the head on Hwy. 23. That victim was pronounced dead at 2:46 p.m.

At about 2:29 p.m., the suspect was arrested, and a gun was recovered in the ditch.