Inset (left): Tsegaab Binessu (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office). Inset (center): Nansi Fuentes Zambrano (Facebook). Inset (right): Dena Silcox (GoFundMe). Background: News footage of a vigil for the three victims in St. Paul, Minn. (KARE). Not pictured: Adam Wilderwing.
A Minnesota man allegedly gunned down three people after he argued with them about paying for a parking spot at his apartment.
Tsegaab Binessu, 30, was charged with three counts of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting on Sunday that took the lives of 25-year-old Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, 43-year-old Adam Wilderwing, and 56-year-old Dena Silcox. According to a probable cause statement reviewed by Law&Crime, all three victims were found dead in the leasing office of the apartment where Binessu was a tenant. Police spoke to another leasing office employee who said Binessu had called earlier to discuss canceling his parking garage contract with them because he planned to sell his car.
The employee told police that after Binessu was told he could not cancel the contract he just renewed, he said he would come to the office to discuss the matter "in person." Police said Binessu "executed" the three employees upon his arrival.
According to the probable cause statement, Binessu's roommate contacted police after the shooting and told them that Binessu confessed to killing the three employees. The roommate said Binessu had quit his job as a trucker two months earlier and planned to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Binessu reportedly told his roommate that he planned to sell his car to CarMax and cancel his parking garage contract, which was costing him $65 a month.
On the day of the shooting, the roommate believed that Binessu was going to the leasing office to cancel the contract. When Binessu returned to the apartment, he told his roommate "he had argued with apartment management and ended up killing three people." Binessu then said he was going to walk to the police station.
While St. Paul police were investigating the scene, Zambrano's boyfriend approached officers and told them he thought Zambrano was one of the victims. He informed officers that her 2017 Chrysler 300 was missing.
According to the probable cause statement, the entire shooting was captured on security video. Wilderwing had been seated behind a desk while speaking with Binessu. Binessu then "lifted his shirt, pulled a gun from his waistband, and chambered a round." Wilderwing raised his hands right before Binessu allegedly shot him three times. After Wilderwing fell to the floor, Binessu allegedly shot him three more times.
Binessu then allegedly aimed at Silcox, who was heard saying, "No, no — no, no, no" before being shot five times. He reportedly called Silcox a "Motherf—ing b—" before heading down a hallway, out of the view of the camera. Police said a woman's screams were heard before four more gunshots.
Police said they recovered 21 spent 9 mm casings at the scene. They believe Zambrano was trying to escape out a window when she was shot.
On Monday night, police arrested Binessu while he was driving Zambrano's car. He had his U.S. passport, Social Security card, an empty magazine, and his firearm permit with him.
He told police after his arrest that he "hated the American system" and blamed the "prolonged immigration process" for the end of his marriage. Binessu told police that he had been trying to bring his former wife and children over to the United States from Ethiopia for seven years. He reportedly said he "lost everything he cared about: his wife, his children, his business, his peace of mind."
When asked about what happened in the leasing office, Binessu asked for an attorney.
Binessu was charged with three counts of second-degree murder and is in custody at the Ramsey County Jail. His first court appearance was scheduled for Wednesday.
Comments