ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man is facing charges for a deadly drive-by shooting in St. Paul last February in which police say the suspect shot and killed a man in his truck.
Kavion Barnett, age 27, is charged with murder in the second degree for the case. The victim in the shooting was found the morning of February 9 dead inside a truck parked in a driveway on Front Avenue, a few blocks west of Rice Street.
The victim was inside a truck with a shattered windshield and had a gunshot wound to his temple. It appears the victim had been shot the night before he was discovered, as neighbors reported hearing a gunshot the night before. Surveillance video also confirmed a gunshot rang out in the area shortly after midnight.
According to the charges, investigators also spotted a Honda Odyssey driving in the area when shots were fired while reviewing surveillance video. Police also found casings that later matched casings found at two other crime scenes: a drive-by shooting on the Earl Street Bridge in which someone shot at a man in his vehicle with his family and another homicide on March 4.
On March 1, police got a tip from a witness who claimed to see the shooting. The witness said they were walking on Front Avenue when a truck passed them and pulled into a driveway. Shortly after, the witness said they saw a Honda Odyssey drive up and the driver fire a single shot at the truck.
In the charges, police say they were later able to draw a connection between Barnett and a Honda Odyssey involved in the February 13 driveby. Police say, they also found a connection between Barnett and Delaquay Williams – who was charged in the March 4 homicide.
Barnett was arrested on Monday, April 11 for the February 13 drive-by shooting. During interviews, police say Barnett admitted to being the man in the Honda Odyssey seen on surveillance video near the Front Avenue crime scene but initially denied shooting anyone. Eventually, after further questioning, police say Barnett admitted to shooting at the Front Street victim but said he was only trying to "scare" the victim after a previous confrontation, the charges detail.
In the charges, police say Barnett also admitted to firing shots at another vehicle on February 13, saying he thought it was a rival gang member in the other car – not a father and his family.
Barnett is facing charges in both incidents.