Man Charged in Hopkins Apartment Shooting That Killed Girlfriend
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Hopkins man is charged with murder and manslaughter after allegedly killing his girlfriend while handling his firearm.
Authorities say the woman was fatally shot inside their Hopkins apartment on Jan. 3.
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Krystofer Patrick Brooks. 20, is accused in the shooting death of the woman he had been dating for about two years and living with for the past year.
Prosecutors charged Brooks with second-degree murder for causing her death without intent. He is also charged with first-degree manslaughter for causing her death while committing a crime of violence.
According to the criminal complaint, Hopkins police were dispatched to an apartment in the 1300 block of Cambridge Street after Brooks called 911 and reported that he had shot his girlfriend in the head while clearing his firearm. When officers entered the apartment, they found Brooks seated at the kitchen table with blood on his hands and crying. He was detained as other officers and emergency personnel attempted to provide aid to the victim.
The woman was found partially lying on a bed with a gunshot wound to her eye and heavy bleeding from her head. Officers pulled her from the bed and attempted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived. Despite those efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police located a black 9mm semi-automatic handgun on a desk chair next to the bed. The firearm’s hammer was cocked, a loaded magazine was inserted and a round was chambered.
After being advised of his rights, Brooks told officers he had been standing near a desk in the bedroom looking at his firearm while the victim was on the bed. He said the room was dark and that he pulled the slide back on the gun but did not see any ammunition come out. Brooks said he reinserted the magazine, believed the gun was empty and pointed it toward a window. He told officers he pulled the trigger lightly and the gun did not fire.
Brooks then told investigators he pointed the gun across the room in the general direction of the bed and pulled the trigger a second time. He said the victim sat up just before the gun discharged and the bullet struck her in the eye. Brooks stated he did not attempt to provide aid because of where she was shot and said he believed she was already dead. He told officers there should have been eight rounds left in the gun, including one in the chamber.
During transport to the police station and while being booked, Brooks made several unsolicited statements, including comments about expecting “basic processing,” asking whether it was normal to feel empty after an incident like this, requesting information about jail accommodations and asking questions about how squad cars work. He also repeatedly asked to speak further with investigators.
In a later interview after again being advised of his rights, Brooks described events from the night before the shooting. He told police he had taken part of a THC gummy around early evening as part of his nightly routine and later heard what sounded like gunshots outside the apartment building. Brooks said he loaded a magazine into his firearm but did not chamber a round and left the gun on his desk overnight, adding that he thought he removed the magazine before going to bed but was not sure.
The next day, after running errands and playing video games with the victim in the bedroom, Brooks said he planned to unload the firearm before leaving for work. He told investigators his usual routine was to check whether the gun was empty and then pull the trigger a few times to confirm. Brooks said he picked up the gun in the dark bedroom, pulled and locked the slide and did not see a round in the chamber before letting the slide go forward.
He told police he pointed the gun toward the window and pulled the trigger, and it did not fire. Brooks said he then rotated toward the bed and pulled the trigger again “to be sure it was unloaded.” He stated the victim sat up just as he pulled the trigger and she was shot above the eye. Brooks said he called her name, received no response and then called 911.
Court records indicate Brooks has a permit to carry and completed firearm safety training in 2025.
Brooks is charged with second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony and first-degree manslaughter while committing a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor involving violence. The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a possible $30,000 fine. A statutory minimum sentence of three years applies due to firearm use if he is convicted.
A judge ordered Brooks held on $200,000 bail with conditions including no use of drugs or alcohol, random testing, no possession of weapons, electronic home monitoring if released and compliance with all court appearances. He has since posted bail and was released from custody.
