A second man is now charged in connection with a fatal shooting in Saint Paul that left a 23-year-old dead earlier this month.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, on the 100 block of Oneida Street in Saint Paul.
Officers found a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of a running Dodge Durango with multiple gunshot wounds. Prosecutors have now charged 28-year-old Antavarius Scott Baker, of Minneapolis, with two counts of second-degree murder for his alleged role in the killing.
According to the criminal complaint, officers arrived after callers reported hearing gunfire and seeing a man run from the parked vehicle. Officers located the Durango with the driver’s door open and found 23-year-old David Lee Turner III, of Saint Paul, unresponsive and bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Found Shot to Death Inside Vehicle in Saint Paul
Officers attempted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, but Turner was pronounced dead at 10:19 p.m.
Investigators say surveillance video showed the Durango parked along Oneida Street with the engine running. About 20 minutes later, a blue SUV parked nearby.
Authorities allege a man exited the SUV, entered the passenger side of the Durango and shots were fired inside the vehicle. Video allegedly showed muzzle flashes and shattered glass from both sides of the Durango before the shooting stopped.
An autopsy determined Turner died from multiple gunshot wounds to the face, neck, chest and arm. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Court records show Baker has prior felony convictions, including first-degree assault and firearm possession offenses. Prosecutors allege those convictions qualify as prior violent crimes.
Jail records show Baker was booked into custody Feb. 3 after his arrest by Minneapolis police. Baker remains in custody as of publication while being held for Ramsey County authorities.
Baker is charged in Ramsey County with second-degree murder with intent and second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Court records show Baker is also facing a separate felony case filed in Hennepin County tied to his arrest the day after the fatal Saint Paul shooting. According to that complaint, Minneapolis officers monitoring cameras near a gas station on the 1800 block of Lowry Avenue North on Feb. 3 saw activity they believed was consistent with a hand-to-hand drug transaction involving a grey Kia sedan connected to Baker. Officers approached the vehicle and took Baker into custody without incident.
Prosecutors allege Baker spontaneously told officers there was a firearm inside the vehicle. Officers searching the Kia reported finding a Ruger .380 handgun loaded with live ammunition inside a backpack, along with individually packaged baggies of suspected marijuana, empty packaging materials and a scale consistent with drug sales.
Baker is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior violent felony convictions, including a 2017 first-degree assault conviction. The new charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and includes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years if convicted.
