Suspect charged with killing three people in St. Paul apartment leasing office
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Charges filed against the man accused of fatally shooting three people in St. Paul on Monday allege he opened fire on the apartment management company employees after being told he could not cancel his garage parking contract.
Tsegaab Ademassu Binessu, 30, was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with three counts of second-degree murder.
He’s accused of killing Nansi G. Fuentes Zambrano, 25, of Inver Grove Heights; Dena M. Silcox, 56, of St. Paul; and Adam J. Wilwerding, 43, of Oakdale. They were fatally shot inside an apartment complex leasing office on St. Paul Avenue on Monday afternoon.
The charges state that the shooting was captured on surveillance video and claim that Binessu also confessed to his roommate. Court documents allege that Binessu “executed” the three victims.
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Binessu is set to make his initial court appearance on Wednesday morning. He was being held at the Ramsey County Jail on Tuesday on $10 million bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Officers responding to multiple 911 calls about gunshots and screams found the victims dead inside the leasing office on Monday afternoon. Officers recovered 21 9mm casings in the office.
Binessu’s longtime roommate reportedly called police and said Binessu had confessed to the shooting. He said Binessu had quit his trucking job and planned on enlisting in the Navy — and that he had just sold his vehicle.
“The roommate thought Binessu planned to speak with apartment management about cancelling his $65/month parking garage contract because he had sold his car,” the complaint states. “The roommate spoke to Binessu hours later. Binessu said he had argued with apartment management and ended up killing three people.”
Other apartment staff members told investigators Binessu “had called to cancel his parking garage contract with them. They told Binessu that he could not get out of paying the contract he had recently renewed. Binessu told the person he spoke with on the phone that he was going to come talk about the situation in person.”
The shooting happened a short time later. The complaint alleges that surveillance video shows Binessu shooting each of the victims multiple times.
The complaint states that he was arrested Monday night on the Iron Range, driving the car of one of the victims.
Binessu allegedly told investigators “he hated the American system,” the complaint states. “Binessu complained of unsuccessfully trying to bring his wife and children from Ethiopia for seven years. Binessu said the prolonged immigration process contributed to his divorce and separation from his children.”
He also reportedly complained that apartment management would not help him, and that he believed he was “treated unfairly because he is Black and an immigrant.”
“Binessu repeatedly said he has lost everything he cared about: his wife, his children, his business, his peace of mind. Binessu said life without his family no longer made sense,” the complaint alleges.
The complaint alleges Binessu admitted that he went to the leasing office, “but he did not explain what happened there. When investigators continued asking Binessu what happened in the leasing office, Binessu asked for an attorney.”
A search of Binessu’s name in Minnesota court records shows only four parking tickets and no past criminal charges.
In a statement after the charges were filed, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said “this shocking act of violence has shaken our community, and we thank the St. Paul Police Department and other assisting police agencies for their quick work to bring the suspect into custody. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the three victims who lost their lives, and we will do everything in our power to hold the accused accountable and seek justice for our community and victims.”
The three victims worked for Mid Continent Management Corporation.
“Our hearts are broken for the family and friends of these team members, and our prayers are with them,” company president Angie French said in a statement issued to KARE 11.
