2nd Suspect Charged in Saint Paul Drug-Deal Killing
Police on scene of a fatal shooting on Feb. 2 in Saint Paul. MN CRIME PHOTO
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A second man is now charged in connection with a fatal shooting in Saint Paul that left a 23-year-old dead earlier this month.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, on the 100 block of Oneida Street in Saint Paul.
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Officers found a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of a running Dodge Durango with multiple gunshot wounds. Prosecutors have now charged 28-year-old Antavarius Scott Baker, of Minneapolis, with two counts of second-degree murder for his alleged role in the killing.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Found Shot to Death Inside Vehicle in Saint Paul
According to the criminal complaint, officers arrived after callers reported hearing gunfire and seeing a man run from the parked vehicle. Officers located the Durango with the driver’s door open and found 23-year-old David Lee Turner III, of Saint Paul, unresponsive and bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds.
Officers attempted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, but Turner was pronounced dead at 10:19 p.m.
Investigators say surveillance video showed the Durango parked along Oneida Street with the engine running. About 20 minutes later, a blue SUV parked nearby. Authorities allege a man exited the SUV, entered the passenger side of the Durango and shots were fired inside the vehicle. Video allegedly showed muzzle flashes and shattered glass from both sides of the Durango before the shooting stopped.
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Prosecutors say a second man exited the SUV and rummaged through the Durango while another suspect returned to the SUV and left the area. Investigators later located Turner outside the vehicle and with multiple gunshot wounds. They recovered shell casings from both inside and outside the Durango, along with cash and a cellphone belonging to Turner.
Investigators determined Turner had been communicating with a phone number linked to Baker in the hours leading up to the shooting. Messages indicated the two were arranging to meet for a suspected marijuana sale. Turner texted shortly before the shooting that he was waiting in the Durango.
Shortly after the shooting, officers were called to Regions Hospital, where a man later identified as 29-year-old Eithan Armani Green arrived with gunshot wounds to his abdomen and leg. Green walked into the emergency room without identification or a phone, but he was later determined to have been in the area at the time of the shooting through cell phone location data, the court documents say.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Charged with Murder in Saint Paul Drug-Deal Shooting
Baker was arrested Feb. 3 by Minneapolis police while driving a vehicle registered to Green. Officers recovered two cell phones and a handgun during that arrest. Investigators also executed a search warrant at an apartment linked to Baker and recovered another handgun along with ammunition.
According to the complaint, Baker told investigators he and Green had previously purchased marijuana from Turner and arranged to meet him again the night of the shooting. Baker allegedly admitted he drove Green and another man to the meeting location and gave Green money to purchase marijuana. Baker told investigators Green exited the vehicle and entered Turner’s Durango before gunfire erupted moments later.
Baker allegedly told investigators Green returned to the vehicle and said he shot Turner after Turner began shooting. Authorities say Baker then drove Green to the hospital before taking possession of a handgun and cell phone left behind in the vehicle.
Investigators also say text messages recovered from Baker’s phone contained multiple conversations referencing robberies. Authorities allege Baker later admitted he knew that Green planned to rob Turner, but claimed he didn’t expect Turner to be killed.
READ MORE > Ramsey County coverage
An autopsy determined Turner died from multiple gunshot wounds to the face, neck, chest and arm. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Court records show Baker has prior felony convictions, including first-degree assault and firearm possession offenses. Prosecutors allege those convictions qualify as prior violent crimes.
Jail records show Baker was booked into custody Feb. 3 after his arrest by Minneapolis police. Baker remains in custody as of publication while being held for Ramsey County authorities.
Baker is charged in Ramsey County with second-degree murder with intent and second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Court records show Baker is also facing a separate felony case filed in Hennepin County tied to his arrest the day after the fatal Saint Paul shooting. According to that complaint, Minneapolis officers monitoring cameras near a gas station on the 1800 block of Lowry Avenue North on Feb. 3 saw activity they believed was consistent with a hand-to-hand drug transaction involving a grey Kia sedan connected to Baker. Officers approached the vehicle and took Baker into custody without incident.
Prosecutors allege Baker spontaneously told officers there was a firearm inside the vehicle. Officers searching the Kia reported finding a Ruger .380 handgun loaded with live ammunition inside a backpack, along with individually packaged baggies of suspected marijuana, empty packaging materials and a scale consistent with drug sales.
Baker is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior violent felony convictions, including a 2017 first-degree assault conviction. The new charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and includes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years if convicted.
