Charges: Man Killed in Targeted Saint Paul Attack
Photo via Saint Paul Police Department
Authorities in Saint Paul have filed charges following the targeted killing of a 32-year-old man found shot multiple times in a parking lot in the early hours of Sept. 17.
The suspect, 22-year-old Kueth Chuol Ngut, is facing murder charges after investigators connected him to the crime through surveillance footage, forensic evidence and witness statements.
The incident began at around 12:19 a.m. on Sept. 17, when Saint Paul police officers attempted to stop a grey Subaru Outback with South Dakota plates after the vehicle ran a red light near Hamline Avenue and St. Anthony Avenue. Officers initiated a traffic stop as the Subaru traveled west on St. Anthony Avenue, but the driver fled northbound on Aldine Street and then eastbound onto University Avenue before officers lost sight of the car.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Killed in Early-Morning Saint Paul Shooting
Shortly after, at 12:20 a.m., Saint Paul officers were dispatched to a nearby apartment building at 1222 University Avenue West for a report of gunfire in the parking lot. A 911 caller told dispatchers they heard approximately ten gunshots and saw someone lying on the ground. The caller also reported that the suspects had already fled the scene.
When officers arrived, they found Lul Dak Chak, 32, of Ames, Iowa, unconscious and not breathing, with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso, neck and face. Medics arrived at the scene, but Chak was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival. Around the victim’s body, officers found several pieces of evidence including ten .40 caliber casings, nine 9mm casings with multiple headstamps, bullet fragments, a broken necklace and a cell phone.
Witnesses at the scene provided crucial information to investigators. One of Chak’s friends, who had been with him at the time of the shooting, told police that he, Chak, and a woman had gone outside to smoke when a person dressed in black exited the front passenger seat of a vehicle parked in the lot and immediately began shooting at them. The friend said the vehicle was already parked when the group arrived and had no lights on before the shooting. As shots rang out, the friend fled and was unable to provide further details.
Another witness, Chak’s cousin, told police that the two had attended a birthday party earlier in the evening and returned to 1222 University Avenue West afterward. She said Chak had stepped outside, mentioning he planned to purchase narcotics. Shortly after, she saw a dark-colored Subaru parked in the lot, from which a man exited and began firing at them. She dropped to the ground, and Chak reportedly jumped in front of her to shield her from the gunfire.
Further evidence emerged when investigators reviewed surveillance video from the apartment building’s parking lot. The footage captured the moments leading up to the fatal shooting. Chak was seen walking toward the Subaru with his cousin and a friend a short distance behind. The front seat passenger and driver of the Subaru exited the vehicle at nearly the same time and opened fire on Chak, who immediately fell to the ground. The passenger fired at least nine rounds, while the driver approached Chak and fired several more rounds at point-blank range. The attackers then got back into the Subaru and fled the scene.
Investigators determined that the Subaru had been driving around the area for roughly 20 minutes before the shooting, changing parking spots multiple times, suggesting that the shooting was premeditated and Chak had been targeted. Further connecting the Subaru to the crime, a witness at the scene told officers that a grey Subaru was seen fleeing the parking lot immediately after the gunfire.
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As police worked to trace the vehicle, officers from the earlier attempted traffic stop realized the Subaru that had fled from them was likely the same vehicle involved in the shooting.
Surveillance footage led investigators to an apartment complex on the 2800 block of Fremont Avenue South in Minneapolis, where the Subaru was later found in the building’s secured underground garage. Video from the garage showed the vehicle being towed into the building by a Bobby and Steve’s Auto World tow truck just after 2:45 a.m. on Sept. 17. Two men accompanied the vehicle, one of whom wore a striped scarf, a multicolored windbreaker, and red shoes. He was seen cleaning out the Subaru and gathering items from the vehicle before walking away carrying a green bag. Investigators identified the man with the scarf as Ngut.
Further surveillance footage from the University of Minnesota campus showed the Subaru had been abandoned in the area of 500 21st Avenue South, where it was later towed. The Subaru had been pushed into the street before it was moved, with video showing a person, who investigators believe to be Ngut, pushing the vehicle shortly after the shooting.
Ngut’s girlfriend, JT, who owned the Subaru, was taken into custody on Sept. 18 at her workplace in Plymouth and later questioned by investigators. JT told officers that she had allowed Ngut to use the Subaru on the evening of Sept. 16. She said she was asleep when she received a message from Ngut stating that the car was missing and his phone was about to die. JT attempted to contact him several times, but her calls went unanswered. Later, she saw the Subaru being towed back to their apartment building and noticed the front license plate was missing. JT said Ngut had cleaned out the car and handed her the keys when she went down to meet him.
When shown surveillance footage of the Subaru near the University of Minnesota, JT identified Ngut as the person pushing the vehicle. She also confirmed that the man in the multicolored jacket seen cleaning the car in the garage was Ngut. Investigators noted that Ngut had changed clothes between the time the Subaru broke down and when it was towed back to the apartment.
On Sept. 18, officers executed a search warrant on JT’s apartment on the 2800 block of Fremont Avenue South and found Ngut inside. During the search, they recovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun that had been stashed on top of a kitchen cabinet, along with an iPhone tied to Ngut. The ammunition in the handgun had multiple headstamps, one of which matched casings recovered from the scene of Chak’s murder. Officers also recovered clothing matching what Ngut had worn when the Subaru was returned and the green bag he had been seen carrying in the surveillance video.
In the building’s trash room, officers found a white towel with what appeared to be bloodstains, along with packaging for bandages. Ngut refused to cooperate with officers during the investigation, becoming hostile and confrontational when police attempted to interview him. He also refused to provide a DNA sample despite a court order, leading prosecutors to request that he be held without bail until he complies.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner later confirmed that Chak had died from multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.
Ngut has a history of violent crime, including prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery and possession of a firearm without a serial number. Prosecutors are now seeking to hold Ngut in custody as the investigation continues, with authorities working to determine whether others were involved in the planning and execution of the shooting.
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