Brainerd,MN : Machete-wielding Minnesota driver charged with murder for fatally striking bystander while fleeing police on April, Monday 23th 2018

A St. Paul man faces a murder charge after crashing into a car while drunkenly fleeing police and killing the other driver, authorities say.

Shawn Michael Konder, 26, was charged with third-degree murder, two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of terrorist threats, according to the criminal complaint filed against him Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court.


The murder charge alleges that Konder committed an act that was “eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind without regard for human life,” the complaint said.

This is only the second time in the past 10 years that the Ramsey County attorney’s office has charged someone with such a crime.

Lashay Whittaker, 41, of Mounds View, died of injuries suffered in the crash. He leaves behind his wife of nearly 15 years and their two daughters, 8 and 14.

Whittaker, who was a barber in St. Paul, often worked late on Fridays and Saturdays. He was on his way home at the time of the crash.

“Our family is devastated and whatever (Konder) gets, he deserves,” said Thomas Echoles, Whittaker’s father-in-law. “He was leaving one crime scene, fleeing the cops and it was a terrible accident that could have been avoided. But due to his behavior, my son-in-law is gone.”

The incident began in Frogtown just before midnight Friday when police were called to the 800 block of Blair Avenue. The 911 caller said a man who had been drinking was going after his girlfriend’s 14-year-old son with a machete and also had threatened to shoot her, authorities say.

The boyfriend, who police identified as Konder, fled the scene in a white van, authorities said.

A police officer who responded to the call spotted Konder driving west on Blair Avenue from Avon street. Konder almost rammed into his squad before racing down nearby streets and alleys without his headlights on, sometimes traveling at speeds as high as 80 mph, the complaint said.

Shortly after Konder turned into an alley between University Avenue and Sherburne Avenue at Chatsworth Street, another officer heard a loud crash and saw smoke and debris fill the air, authorities say.

He soon discovered that Konder had struck Whittaker’s vehicle, sending the man’s 2000 Nissan Maxima into a garage at 856 Sherburne Ave., the complaint said.

The garage had collapsed on a portion of the vehicle and Whittaker had to be extricated. He was taken to a hospital but died there.

The front wheels and engine compartment of his Maxima had been completely sheared off the rest of his vehicle, the charges say.

Konder tried to run away after the collision but was captured by police after he fell to the ground.

He allegedly admitted that he’d been drinking after officers noted the smell of alcohol on his breath and his slurred speech. Seven airplane-size bottles of Fireball cinnamon whiskey were found inside his pants pockets, the complaint said.

Results of blood-alcohol testing are pending.

While en route to the hospital to be treated for his own injuries, Konder allegedly laughed and referred to the police chase as a “cat and mouse game” that he lost, the complaint said.

In a subsequent interview with officers, Konder said he was sorry for causing the crash and that he deserved whatever punishment he received for “ruining (the victim and his family’s) lives,” the complaint said.

Source :
Woman