BS BRIEF:
- Authorities have charged 30-year-old Tsegaab Binessu with three counts of second-degree murder after three employees at a St. Paul apartment complex were fatally shot during what investigators say began as a dispute over a $65-per-month parking garage contract.
- Charging documents allege surveillance video captured Binessu opening fire inside the leasing office, killing Dena Silcox, Adam Wilwerding and Nansi Fuentes Zambrano before fleeing in one victim’s vehicle.
- The killings have shaken residents of the Davern Park Apartments community, where neighbors described all three victims as well-known employees who had served tenants for years.
THREE APARTMENT EMPLOYEES KILLED IN ST. PAUL LEASING OFFICE SHOOTING
A dispute over an apartment parking contract allegedly escalated into one of Minnesota’s deadliest workplace shootings of the year after prosecutors say a tenant entered a leasing office and fatally shot three employees before fleeing the scene.
Ramsey County prosecutors have charged Tsegaab Binessu, 30, with three counts of second-degree murder in connection with Monday’s shootings at the Davern Park Apartments in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood.
According to the criminal complaint, Binessu had recently attempted to cancel a $65 monthly parking garage contract after selling his vehicle and planning to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Apartment employees reportedly informed him that he could not cancel because the agreement had recently been renewed.
Investigators say Binessu then told staff he would come to the leasing office to discuss the matter in person.
Court documents allege surveillance video shows Binessu speaking with employees before pulling a handgun and opening fire.
Prosecutors allege Adam Wilwerding, 43, was shot multiple times near the front desk. Moments later, Dena Silcox, 56, was also struck repeatedly as she pleaded, “No, no.” After moving down a hallway and out of camera view, investigators say Binessu fired additional shots that killed Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, 25, who was reportedly attempting to escape through an office window. Investigators recovered 21 spent shell casings inside the office.
Authorities say Binessu fled in Zambrano’s vehicle and was arrested later Monday in Virginia, Minnesota, roughly 200 miles north of St. Paul. Police allege he confessed to his roommate before his arrest, saying he had argued with apartment management and killed three people.
According to charging documents, Binessu later told investigators he was frustrated with the U.S. immigration system, saying he had unsuccessfully tried for years to bring his wife and children from Ethiopia to the United States. He also complained that he had been treated unfairly because he was Black and an immigrant. Prosecutors included those statements as part of the interview summary but have not alleged a hate-crime motive.
The victims have been remembered by family members, friends and residents as dedicated employees who cared deeply about their community.
Silcox’s father, Bob Silcox, told KARE that his daughter “did not deserve to go out this way,” while her brother described her as someone with “a fire in her belly.”
Friends remembered Zambrano as kind, generous and devoted to her family. Residents described Wilwerding—known to many simply as “AJ”—as someone who treated tenants with respect and kindness.
At a community vigil Tuesday evening, neighbors gathered to mourn the three victims and support one another as investigators continued processing the scene.
Binessu remains in custody. Each second-degree murder charge carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years under Minnesota law if he is convicted.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- KSTP – Arrest made, victims identified in St. Paul triple homicide Read the story
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul – St. Paul triple homicide charges: Suspect ‘executed’ victims over $65 parking contract Read the story
- KARE 11 – Coverage of the community vigil and victims’ families’ tributes.
- WCCO/CNN Newsource – Disgruntled tenant ‘executed’ three leasing office workers over parking garage dispute, police say Read the story
