A Minnesota man has been charged with murder after a minor car accident ended in a deadly shooting. According to the Star Tribune, Anthony, 24, of Watertown, was charged in Ramsey County District Court on Monday with second degree murder in the death of Douglas, 39, of St. Paul. Anthony is being held on $1 million bail. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The criminal complaint says the shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. last Friday near Highway 61 and Burns Avenue on St. Paul’s East Side. Anthony told police a driver bumped the back of his pickup truck. Both drivers pulled over to exchange information, and the conversation turned into a shouting match.
Anthony told investigators that he and a friend heard Douglas say he was a “GD,” a reference to a gang. He also said Douglas appeared to reach toward his waistband and walk toward him. According to court documents, Anthony took a gun from his glove compartment and fired from about 10 feet away, hitting Douglas four times. He told police he thought he was going to die. The Star Tribune reports Anthony has a permit to carry.
Police said no weapon was found on Douglas. A young couple who saw what happened told investigators that Douglas did not appear to have a gun and that they did not hear him claim any gang affiliation. They said they stayed with Douglas and gave him help until responders arrived. Douglas was taken to Regions Hospital, where he died shortly after.
Anthony left the scene after the shooting. Asked why he did not drive away, he told detectives he did not think that was an option because another car was blocking him from backing out.
Douglas’ sister, Valerie, told reporters she believes race played a part in the shooting. “White people can get away with killing a black man by saying they were afraid. He has brought great pain to my family,” she said. Her family describes Douglas as a working father of four with no history of violence.
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