A fatal shooting in front of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension offices in St. Paul last week that left a young father dead may be connected to a homicide that occurred days earlier, court documents say.
In an application for a search warrant filed in Ramsey County District Court this week, an investigator with St. Paul police indicates that three possible suspects in the slaying of Robert Molin Jr., Aug. 16 also apparently knew the 21-year-old shot and killed during a dice game robbery in St. Paul four days earlier.
In that incident, Devan L. Goode was killed when someone got out of a sedan just blocks from Harding High School about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 12 and shot him after demanding money from the group gathered for the dice game, legal documents say.
Goode had a 1-year-old daughter.
Malik Dontarius Turner, 19, has been charged with unintentional second-degree murder in the case and has yet to enter a plea.
One of Turner’s friends drove a tan Buick into the parking lot of the East Side Liquor Store at 1361 E. Maryland Ave. the afternoon of Aug. 16.
When he got out of the car, he saw the three suspects walking toward him and “knew that there was going to be a problem,” because of his association with Turner, according to the search warrant application.
One of the men flashed a gun with an extended magazine at him, the man later told police, prompting him to retreat back into his Buick and call Molin to notify him of the situation, the application said.
The search warrant doesn’t name who called Molin. A relative of Molin’s said last week that Molin was trying to protect his younger brother when he was killed.
Soon after, Molin is seen on surveillance video pulling into the liquor store parking lot in a blue Nissan as the three suspects begin driving away in a Chevrolet Equinox, legal documents say.
Molin allegedly followed in his Nissan while the man who called him follows in his Buick.
The three vehicles shift lane positions on Maryland Avenue before Molin speeds up next to the Equinox’s right side, according to surveillance footage captured on the BCA’s video system.
Footage then shows a handgun pointing out of the Equinox before Molin passes in his Nissan. Shortly thereafter, Molin veers off the road and crashes into a fence on the 1400 block of Maryland, legal documents say.
Police found Molin unresponsive in the front seat of his car with an apparent gunshot wound to his head.
Images of the suspects captured on the surveillance footage were shown to members of the St. Paul Police Gang and Gun Unit, who were able to identify them, according to the search warrant application.
The man who first encountered them at the liquor store was able to identify two of the three as definitely involved in the altercation, while saying the third was possibly involved, legal documents say.
The application indicates the various parties are affiliated with rival street gangs.
No arrests have been made in Molin’s death as the investigation continues.