Suspect Wanted for Brooklyn Park Homicide Arrested in Ohio

Jul 21

A 25-year-old man wanted in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Zoe Kpanlin in Brooklyn Park earlier this month has been arrested in Ohio.

*Zoe Dekontee Kpanlin,* ***via GoFundMe***

Brooklyn Park police say Melchizedek Kpaan was taken into custody Friday morning in North Ridgeville, a suburb west of Cleveland, where officers had tracked him following a second-degree murder warrant.

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Local law enforcement worked with the Ohio State Patrol and North Ridgeville Police Department to carry out the arrest without incident. Kpaan is currently being held in the Lorain County Jail as he awaits extradition to Minnesota.

The charges stem from a July 1 shooting in a residential neighborhood near 7600 Lakeland Avenue North. Officers were dispatched to the scene around 7:55 p.m. and found Kpanlin suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound.

She was rushed to the hospital but did not survive. Her death occurred just two days before her 18th birthday.

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Brooklyn Park police quickly identified Kpaan as the suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest. Investigators have not released information about a possible motive or the events that led up to the shooting.

Authorities said they would provide further updates as the case progresses. They have not indicated whether Kpaan had any connection to Kpanlin.

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