Murder charges filed, victim identified in Edina strip mall parking lot shooting

Officials identified the man who was shot to death in a strip mall parking lot in Edina over the weekend, and the alleged shooter was charged Wednesday with murder.

Darien J. Roberson, 21, of St. Paul, was shot multiple times about 9 p.m. Saturday outside the mall just east of France Avenue in the 3500 block of W. 70th Street. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged Kayvon J. Madison, 21, of Minneapolis, with second-degree murder.

The newly filed charges say the men attended a birthday dinner with friends when an argument turned to gunfire. Madison was one of the 911 callers and he was immediately taken into custody. He remains jailed ahead of his first court appearance Thursday. An attorney for him is not yet listed.

The shooting marked Edina's second homicide in less than two weeks. Adam Jami Garcia, 32, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the apparently random attack on Nov. 24 that killed Christian H. Lundegaard, 62, of Richfield.

Edina Police Chief Todd Milburn said this week that his department had already planned on stationing two officers at Southdale prior to the pair of killings in the fastest-growing part of the city. Milburn said he doesn't think the recent homicides indicate any issues specific to the city or to the Southdale neighborhood.

According to the charges:

Police received multiple reports of shots fired at the strip mall, including a 911 call from Madison, who said he had just shot someone after Roberson "came at me." But this claim was not supported by surveillance video evidence.

Madison was standing near a Glock 19 handgun in a holster on the ground when police arrived. Roberson was shot five times, including in the face and chest. He didn't have a pulse.

Witnesses told police there was a birthday party at a nearby restaurant attended by 13 people, including Roberson and Madison. They knew the friend celebrating the birthday, but the two men were not close friends.

"According to witnesses, they may not have had any contact since 2021 when they had a disagreement related to a friend of [Roberson's] who died from an overdose," charges say.

After dinner, they all took pictures together in the parking lot when Madison allegedly made a comment about how Roberson's friend would still be alive if they had made better life choices.

An argument followed. Witnesses say Roberson didn't want to talk about it, but Madison kept pushing the issue. At one point, video shows Madison put his finger in Roberson's face, and Roberson slapped his hand away and took a step back. Madison then pulled out a gun and shot Roberson.

Witnesses restrained Madison after Roberson collapsed.