Man Charged with Murder in July Saint Paul Encampment Shooting
The scene of a fatal shooting at an encampment in Saint Paul on July 20. MN CRIME PHOTO
A 21-year-old man is charged with second-degree murder after authorities say he shot and killed a man at a Saint Paul homeless encampment in July.
Francisco Diaz-Xique is accused of killing a man on July 20 at the encampment near Maryland Avenue and Jackson Street, according to the criminal complaint.
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Officers were called to the encampment around 4:40 p.m. and found the victim inside a tent, sitting in a chair and with gunshot wounds to his chest. He was unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse. Medics pronounced him dead at 4:53 p.m. and police recovered six spent 9mm shell casings stamped “SPEER” outside the tent. Testing later confirmed they were all fired from the same gun.
Inside the victim’s jacket, officers found a slip of paper with a phone number linked to Diaz-Xique.
Surveillance video from The Foundry Pub on Jackson Street showed a white Lexus SUV park near the scene shortly before the shooting. A woman, Diaz-Xique and another man were seen walking from the Lexus toward the encampment. Video later captured the group returning, with Diaz-Xique briefly driving the Lexus before getting out and walking away. Investigators say one of the men went into a portable toilet where he changed shirts.
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Police towed and searched the Lexus, finding a box of 9mm cartridges with the same “SPEER” headstamp, Diaz-Xique’s Minnesota identification, prescription paperwork in his name, part of a drug ledger and at least one fingerprint that matched Diaz-Xique.
During the investigation, a man approached an officer outside a convenience store, handed him a note with the name “Porsha” and a phone number for Diaz-Xique, and said, “He and his girl did it,” the court documents say.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Found Fatally Shot at Saint Paul Encampment
Investigators say fingerprints from the note matched Diaz-Xique and the woman. Witnesses at the camp told police the group had been coming there in the days before the shooting to sell drugs. One said the victim owed money. Investigators were also able to determine that the woman had also brought the Lexus to an auto repair shop in June and provided Diaz-Xique’s number as her contact.
Diaz-Xique faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
After a fatal shooting at an encampment in Saint Paul on July 20. MN CRIME PHOTO
