A Minneapolis man wanted in connection with a Brooklyn Park homicide from more than a year and a half ago has been arrested more than 1,000 miles away at a Virginia residence where several guns and ammunition were seized, officials said.
Man wanted in 2021 Brooklyn Park homicide is arrested in Virginia
He's been jailed since Tuesday and awaits extradition back to Minnesota.
January 19, 2023 at 3:58PM
Benjamin P. Richardson III, 25, was arrested without incident in the Lynchburg, Va., suburb of Forest and booked into jail shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday, the Bedford County Sheriff's Office said.
Richardson remains jailed Thursday awaiting extradition back to the Twin Cities. Brooklyn Park police have yet to say which killing is associated with this suspect.
A charge of second-degree murder has been filed against Richardson in connection with the killing of 22-year-old Alameen Allah Shabazz, but a judge ordered it sealed from public view as the pursuit of Richardson continued, Police Inspector Elliot Faust said.
Shabazz, of Robbinsdale, was walking into the Nice Family African Market in the 7400 block of Regent Avenue N. on June 22, 2021, when a man sitting in a vehicle opened fire, police said.
Witnesses told police that Shabazz got into his own vehicle, which was being driven by his girlfriend. Officers found the car and saw him unconscious and suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was taken to North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, where he died in the emergency room.
Shabazz's mother Christina Flowers said Thursday that while her heart is broken, she is thankful to all involved in capturing her son's alleged killer.
"While I know that I am truly blessed that they have arrested my son's killer, because some people do not even have that, I can't help but to think that this still will not bring back my baby," she said in a statement. "I pray that the justice system punishes the killer to the fullest extent of the law and make him an example, as this will provide warning to all those who think that it is okay to take another person's life; it is not okay!"
Brooklyn Park police notified law enforcement in Bedford County that Richardson was possibly at an apartment complex in Forest. Investigators and a tactical response team confirmed he was at the complex and arrested him.
"Several firearms, ammunition and data storing devices were seized as a result of the search of the residence," the Bedford County Sheriff's Office said in a statement announcing the arrest.
The pilot was the only person inside the plane, and was not injured in the emergency landing, according to the State Patrol.
