Charges: Man Fatally Shot Pregnant Fiancé Outside Lakeville Amazon Warehouse
Prosecutors have charged a 32-year-old man with 2nd-degree murder after his pregnant fiancé was found shot in the neck in a vehicle outside an Amazon fulfillment center in Lakeville Sunday night.
Donte Rapheal McCray, of Saint Louis Park, is accused in the death of Kyla Bianca O'Neal, 31, who was the mother of their 2-year-old and was engaged to McCray. She was pregnant at the time of the shooting, set to deliver their baby boy on Wednesday.
According to the statement of probable cause, police were sent to the Amazon warehouse at 9800 217th St. W. just before 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8. Officers found O’Neal with a gunshot wound to the right side of her neck and a large amount of blood on her clothing.
The woman was initially unresponsive to resuscitation, but livesaving efforts and CPR continued while she was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. Medical staff there performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver her unborn boy and O’Neal was pronounced dead a short time later.
The child is still considered in critical condition at the hospital as of Tuesday.
O’Neal’s manner of death was ruled a homicide, caused by the gunshot wound to her neck, which transected her spine.
According to the charges, McCray appeared distraught at the scene and told officers that he and O’Neal had been in an argument for most of the day. McCray said that O’Neal had learned that he had another child with another woman while O’Neal was pregnant.
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He took a Lyft to his mother’s home after the argument, along with all of his belongings, but was later picked up by O’Neal at the home and brought to work at the warehouse in Lakeville.
According to the charges, after he realized he had his guns in the bags, McCray was worried they were unsafe and wanted to “clear” them of any live ammo. O’Neal reportedly told McCray not to handle the gun right in front of his workplace and she attempted to drive away from the front of the Amazon building to a parking spot.
McCray said that he hung onto the car while O’Neal moved it and as she was parking the vehicle, he tried to clear a round in the chamber, it accidentally discharged and struck O’Neal in the neck.
Kyla Bianca O'Neal (via Facebook)
Investigators checked surveillance video from the parking lot, which showed McCray get out of the front passenger seat of the vehicle while it was parked in front. He then went to the back passenger side door and appeared to be moving something around in the car, the charges say.
The video showed the vehicle pull away from the front of the building, with McCray running alongside the vehicle. O’Neal drove into a parking spot but reversed briefly before pulling in, which caused the vehicle to push McCray backwards. Investigators would later ask McCray about the footage, and he admitted that when O’Neal’s vehicle door hit him, he was angry and raised the gun, pointed it at O’Neal and pulled the trigger.
McCray told police that he did not know there was a round in the chamber when he pulled the trigger.
According to the documents, McCray told investigators that he is well-acquainted with firearms and knows how to disassemble them. O’Neal also took classes in gun safety and had a permit to carry, the documents said. Family members told investigators that O’Neal would not have needed McCray’s help to clear live ammo out of a firearm, and McCray also told investigators he’d previously taken two firearms safety courses.
The charge of 2nd-degree murder with intent is a felony, punishable by a sentence of up to 40 years.
Investigators spoke to O’Neal’s mother, who said she saw the two arguing over O’Neal’s keys and the mother had to break the fight up. She also told police that McCray had threatened to kill O’Neal if she had another man around his kids and told her and her family, “You all ain’t bullet proof. I’m going to f*** you all up. You ain’t bullet proof,” before he left to go to his mother’s house about an hour before the shooting.
After learning of his infidelity, O’Neal reportedly told McCray that he “had to go” and that her unborn baby would not carry his last name. O’Neal’s mother witnessed the argument at their residence over O’Neal’s car keys, including when she is alleged to have used a broom stick to get McCray to turn over the keys. McCray is accused of “rushing” O’Neal, the documents said, and McCray’s phone was broken in the scuffle.
McCray’s criminal record in the state includes a conviction for carrying a pistol without a permit in Sept. 2021, which is a gross misdemeanor.
McCray was on probation in Hennepin County for the prior gun conviction and under the terms of his sentencing order—which was in effect as of May 18, 2022—he was required to forfeit all firearms and was prohibited from possessing any guns.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said that "if the baby does not survive, additional charges will be filed" against McCray, according to a written statement.
McCray made his first appearance on the charge Tuesday and remains in custody, with bail set at $2 million. A next court appearance is set for Jan. 19.
UPDATE: KARE-TV reported that O’Neal’s son died at the hospital on Tuesday, Jan. 17, after being taken off a ventilator. Additional charges are expected but had not yet been filed as of late Tuesday night.
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