Man Faces Murder Charge in Killing of 15-year-old in North Minneapolis
A Minneapolis man now faces a charge of murder after the killing of a 15-year-old high school student earlier this month in a shooting on the city’s north side.
Cody Logan Fohrenkam, 29, was formally charged with one count of intentional 2nd-degree murder in the death of Deshaun Hill on Feb. 9.
According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis police responded near Golden Valley Rd. and Penn Ave. N. around 12:30 p.m. after the initial report of a shooting.
Officers found Hill unresponsive near the intersection with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A memorial service for Hill took place Tuesday afternoon. He was quarterback for North Community High School and a student there.
Investigators found video surveillance showing a suspect—later identified as Fohrenkam—walking eastbound on the north sidewalk of Golden Valley Rd. as Hill approached, walking from the other direction.
In the video, the suspect and Hill walk by each other, close enough to “possibly brush shoulders,” the charges say, before the suspect stops. His image is blocked by a tree, but three shots ring out in the video and the suspect is seen carrying a backpack, running eastbound out of the frame.
Hill and the suspect in the video were the only two on the sidewalk at the time.
In the video, the suspect was wearing red pants, a black puffy coat, black shoes and was carrying a black backpack. Other videos by investigators show the same suspect—alleged to be Fohrenkam—in the area just before the shooting and running away after the gunfire.
Deshaun Hill in an image shared to GoFundMe
Witnesses corroborated the suspect’s clothing description. A photo and description of the suspect was obtained, and investigators say multiple witnesses identified Fohrenkam as the man they had seen prior to the shooting.
A search warrant was obtained for a home where Fohrenkam was staying the day after the fatal shooting, where a backpack matching the backpack in the video was found.
Fohrenkam was arrested and interviewed, initially telling investigators that he was in Wisconsin at the time of the shooting, then changed his story to say that he was with his cousin in south Minneapolis that day.
After being confronted with the surveillance video evidence, Fohrenkam reportedly admitted that he was in the area of the shooting, “looking for the person who stole his phone,” the complaint said. The cousin later denied being with Fohrenkam.
Since the time of the interview, investigators say Fohrenkam has made phone calls from jail, seeking to set up an alibi for himself, the complaint said.
Fohrenkam remains in custody and is set to make his first court appearance Feb. 23 at 1:30 p.m.
