At around 10:45 AM on December 10, 2025, officers were sent to the apartment building at [address omitted] East, Maplewood, Ramsey County on a shooting. Staff reported hearing two gunshots, a pause, and then a third gunshot. Officers smelled gunpowder and saw smoke in the air when they entered the building. Officers found AD ([DOB redacted]) lying in a pool of blood outside Apartment 109. There were two spent casings on the ground near AD’s body. Officers dragged AD to the lobby and provided medical care.
AD did not have a pulse. AD had two gunshots – one to her upper right thigh and the other to her left shoulder and back area. Officers later recovered a bullet fragment from the hallway near Apartment 109. Building staff said JOSEPH RAYMOND WIGGINS, Sr. ([DOB redacted]) entered the building and walked towards AD’s apartment. Staff thought Wiggins may still be inside AD’s apartment. Staff said Wiggins and AD had a child together who is currently incarcerated on a murder conviction. Wiggins is married to a different woman, but their relationship was ending.
Wiggins wanted to be with AD, but AD did not want to be with him. Staff knew that Wiggins had threatened to kill himself the day before. Wiggins’ current wife, SW, called police and said that Wiggins had shot himself and someone else. SW later showed police text messages Wiggins had sent her while she was at work. Wiggins wrote: “I’m scared too. Wondering if I can go through with it.” Wiggins later wrote: “[AD]’s dead. I’m about to do me. I’m not dying and I can’t move ny (sic) face is off. I have to die.” SW wrote that she was with a student.
Wiggins replied: “Thanks for everything. I’m fading. I’m scared. God forgive me.” Wiggins then sent SW two photos showing a gunshot wound to his face. Wiggins wrote: “I killed her. I’m dying. I can’t get up. Mu (sic) brain is coming out of my nose. I’m choking on my brain.” When SW asked what the apartment number was, Wiggins self-pityingly replied: “You don’t care. You could have prevented this. I begged you. You had to be stubborn. I’m not going to live.” SW wrote that she was talking to the police trying to get Wiggins help.
Wiggins wrote: “I’m choking on my brain. I forgive you. You hurt me over and over, but kept saying you were not doing anything. I forgive you for everything. You didn’t believe me. I was not bluffing or looking for attention. A little attention would have saved me. At least no one has to worry about me bothering them anymore. I fading. It won’t be long now. I wish it would hurry. This hurts so bad. Why don’t you stay with me until I pass. I can’t talk but I can listen. I’m starting not to be able to see and getting dizzy.” Wiggins had posted two live videos on his Facebook account.
In the videos Wiggins was on the floor wearing a black hat and waffle-print camouflage shirt – the same clothing surveillance video showed him wearing when he entered the apartment building. It appeared Wiggins’ jaw was broken, and half of his teeth were missing. Wiggins had a severe defect to his left cheek area. Wiggins’ injury made it difficult to understand what he said in the video besides that he was sorry and his injury hurt. 2 ••-CR-••-•••• Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 12/12/2025 Police eventually obtained a search warrant to enter Apartment 109. A SWAT team executed the warrant.
