Background: News footage of the scene where Chazz Toney was found dead on Oct. 10, 2025 (KBJR). Inset: Branden King (St. Louis County Jail).
A Minnesota man faces two felony charges after prosecutors said he not only targeted one man, but shot the "wrong" man first.
Branden Russell King, 32, was arrested on Jan. 8 in connection with the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Chazz Toney, who was found dead in Duluth after midnight on Oct. 10, 2025. Law enforcement officials alleged that not only did King shoot Toney, he also shot another unidentified victim the day before. According to the police and the St. Louis County Attorney's Office, that first victim was "the wrong guy."
In a probable cause statement obtained by local Fox affiliate KQDS, Duluth police said witnesses heard King say that he shot "the wrong guy" on Oct. 9, 2025. According to the court documents, King was asking around, trying to locate Toney, who used the nickname "Cash." Witnesses recounted to police that King told them he was "supposed to find Cash" after he allegedly shot someone else by mistake.
On the night of the alleged murder, and after King allegedly shot the "wrong" man, witnesses heard gunshots and later saw King standing over Toney's body. According to police, surveillance video also captured King near the location where Toney was found.
The St. Louis County Attorney said Toney was "executed," adding that he was "shot in the head with a cigarette still in his mouth and keys and phone still in his hands."
The alleged "wrong" victim was shot in the chest, but survived. Police said forensic analysis showed that the same gun was used to shoot the unidentified victim and Toney.
King was charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and second-degree murder. He is currently being held at the St. Louis County Jail without bond.
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