Suspect arrested in death of Mpls. real estate agent; community leaders speak out against violence
Police have made an arrest in the New Year's Eve killing of Monique Baugh, a 28-year-old mother and real estate agent found fatally shot in a Minneapolis alley.
Authorities said Friday that a 41-year-old man is in custody pending formal charges. KARE-TV reported that court documents allege the suspect had ties to Baugh's boyfriend, who was wounded in a separate shooting Tuesday. A search warrant states Baugh was abducted while showing a house in Maple Grove, and later shot.
Meanwhile a group of community leaders united as the Safe Streets Coalition gathered at Minneapolis City Hall on Friday to call for action against gun violence.
"It is an outrage, and what happened to Monique was heinous and it cannot go unaddressed," Alicia Smith, executive director of the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization, said at the news conference, according to KARE-TV.
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"We need to address the trauma. What you see here is everyone. We are united, there is no division. We are sick and tired of seeing our people lying dead in the street like animals. We are not. What happened to Monique was unacceptable."
Urban League Twin Cities president Steven Belton also was among the speakers who called for more action by elected officials and other community leaders.
"Imagine what happened to Monique happened to an Edina housewife, a white woman. Imagine that white lady being dragged out of her home. Imagine the ripple effects in that community. Imagine the speeches we would hear immediately, the outrage we'd be hearing from corporate boardrooms, from philanthropy... Imagine the faith community, the resources that they would put into this,” Belton said.
"And then imagine the speechifying that would occur from our political leadership. Why aren't they as outraged about this as we are? Because they're not taking it personally. Because they've balkanized what happens in our community and made it our issue — not their issue."