A man is facing three counts of second-degree murder for allegedly fatally shooting three employees at his St. Paul, Minnesota apartment complex on Monday.
Tsegaab Binessu, 30, is accused of entering the Davern Park Apartments leasing office around 4 p.m. and opening fire after being told he could not receive a refund for a $65 parking pass he had recently renewed, according to charging documents. The victims have been identified as Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, 25, Dena Silcox, 56, and Adam Wilwerding, 43, all of whom worked for the property management company.
During his arrest hours later, Binessu allegedly expressed disappointment with the "American system," stating he had tried for seven years to bring his wife and children to the U.S. from Ethiopia and blamed their separation for his divorce, authorities claim.
Witnesses and charging documents describe a sequence of events where Binessu engaged in a dispute with apartment staff about canceling his parking contract. After being told he could not get a refund, he allegedly went to the leasing office to discuss it in person. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Binessu pulling a handgun from his shirt and firing at Wilwerding, then at Silcox, and finally at Zambrano as she attempted to escape through an office window.
Police responded to multiple calls reporting gunshots and screams at the apartment complex. Officers discovered the three victims deceased at the scene, along with 21 spent shell casings. Binessu was apprehended approximately 200 miles north of St. Paul in Virginia, Minnesota, driving a vehicle belonging to one of the victims.
At the time of his arrest, Binessu was reportedly wearing the same clothing seen in surveillance footage and had camping gear, his U.S. passport, Social Security card, an empty handgun magazine, and a permit to carry a firearm. He reportedly did not confess to the shootings but admitted to being at the leasing office and having a dispute with staff.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi issued a statement acknowledging the "shocking act of violence" and expressing condolences to the victims' families, vowing to hold the accused accountable and seek justice.
Residents of the apartment complex shared their grief and shock, with some describing the victims as kind and friendly individuals. Online fundraisers have been established to support the families of Dena Silcox and Nansi Fuentes Zambrano. Silcox had worked for the property management company for 10 years, and Zambrano was remembered as a hard-working individual who had achieved personal goals. Binessu is being held without bail pending his trial, scheduled for mid-August.