Charges: Same gun used in Target parking lot shooting and St. Paul’s first homicide of 2024

A man is now formally accused of murder for the shooting that killed a man earlier this week in the parking lot of a Target in Minneapolis.

Prosecutors charged 20-year-old Barqalde Abdullahi Barqadle with second-degree murder on Thursday.

The charge stems from a shooting that happened at around 3:45 p.m. on Monday in the parking lot along New Brighton Boulevard, just north of Interstate 35W.

There, Minneapolis police officers found a 19-year-old man lying in the lot, suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. He was taken to a hospital where he died, police said. He hasn’t yet been publicly identified.

According to charging documents, surveillance video showed Barqadle and the victim fall out of a Tesla and continue to struggle. However, the victim then collapsed to the ground.

Barqadle stayed at the scene and told police that he was driving the Tesla while the victim played with a gun. He added that the victim shot himself, court documents state.

However, they add that officers found damage to Barqadle’s hoodie and jacket that suggested he’d fired the gun from inside the hoodie’s pocket.

Barqadle is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday afternoon. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Court documents also note that the gun used in the shooting was also involved in St. Paul’s first homicide of 2024, which killed 23-year-old Abdifatah Abdillahi. Police talked to a person associated with that case who said he gave the gun to Barqadle.

St. Paul police haven’t announced any arrest or charges in the Jan. 1 shooting but 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to the department for an update.