Man Charged with Murder After Boom Island Mass Shooting
A 23-year-old man is facing murder and attempted murder charges after a mass shooting at Boom Island Park last month that left one woman dead and five others wounded.
Prosecutors on Friday charged Zyere Jakye Porter with six felonies in connection to the June 1 shooting, which investigators say stemmed from a gang-related confrontation that erupted during a large birthday party.
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Porter is accused of aiding and abetting the killing of 23-year-old Stageina Katraya Shapryia Whiting, and attempting to kill five others by opening fire from a car that circled through a crowded park just after 9:30 p.m.
Officers responding to reports of gunfire found Whiting suffering from gunshot wounds before paramedics brought her to the hospital, where she died. Five more people had been shot. One remains hospitalized in critical condition and is now paralyzed. Investigators recovered around 130 spent cartridge casings at the scene. Testing confirmed at least nine different firearms had been fired.
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The scene of a June 1, 2025 shooting at Boom Island Park where six people were shot. MN CRIME PHOTO
Police learned the shooting followed an earlier disturbance at French Park in Plymouth. The birthday group had been kicked out of that park and relocated to Boom Island. Surveillance footage showed a black Dodge Challenger arriving at the park before the shooting started. The car was registered to the girlfriend of a man who told police he was shot shortly after stepping out of the car and was taken to the hospital by someone else.
After that initial shooting, the Challenger left, turned around on Sibley Street Northeast, and returned to Boom Island. Surveillance showed a passenger sitting on the window frame, firing multiple times into the crowd as the car circled the lot.
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Whiting had been sitting in the passenger seat of her sister’s car as they tried to leave. Her sister told police they were nearly at the exit when the Challenger drove past and gunfire erupted. The account matches what was captured on video.
Among the 130 shell casings, a separate group of .40 caliber casings were found in a distinct location. Investigators said these matched the volley of shots heard during the drive-by and were consistent with the rounds that struck the woman near the exit.
On June 3, police found the Challenger at Porter’s residence in Spring Lake Park. The car was now green instead of black, its plates had been removed, and pieces of black vinyl car wrap were found nearby. A Chrysler 200 had been parked behind the car to block its view. Neighbors told police the Chrysler had been moved recently. Inside it, officers found a heat gun used to strip car wraps, along with firearms and ammunition.
In the Challenger, officers found a live .40 caliber round and a spent casing. Ballistics matched the casing to the group of .40 caliber rounds found at the park. A bullet recovered from the woman’s body was also consistent with a .40 caliber weapon.
Witnesses told police that Porter returned to the Spring Lake Park address shortly after the shooting and had been seen driving the Challenger in the past. His fingerprints were later found beneath the removed wrap on the car.
Through interviews, investigators learned that Porter, one of the men who was shot, and another known male had been called to the park to assist fellow Low End gang members in confronting a rival gang member.
Porter was arrested at the Spring Lake Park address on June 26. He remains in custody on $3 million bail and is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one as a drive-by shooting and one for aiding and abetting; one count of attempted second-degree murder for aiding and abetting; and three additional counts of attempted second-degree murder.
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