Man charged with 2nd-degree murder for involvement in August drive-by shooting
A man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder for his role in an August drive-by shooting in Minneapolis that left one woman dead.
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In addition to the murder charges, Tremaine Michael Bucholz, 25, was charged with one count of possessing a firearm with a prior conviction, according to the criminal complaint.
On Aug. 9, Minneapolis Police responded to the intersection of Thomas Avenue North and Oak Park Avenue on a report of shots fired and a woman screaming. Law enforcement found a woman lying facedown on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the back.
According to authorities, life-saving measures were attempted but the woman was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Officers searched the area and found video from a nearby doorbell that showed a cargo van stopped on the corner of Thomas Avenue and Oak Park Avenue as the woman walked towards the intersection. As the woman walked closer to the corner, the van slowly pulled out towards her.
The van then stopped next to the woman, and a shot was fired from the passenger window, according to court records. The woman began running towards the corner and the passenger in the van, later identified as Bucholz, fired seven more shots, with one of them hitting her in the back.
Authorities also found video from a nearby alley four minutes before the shooting that showed the van circling the block at least twice before the shooting and showed Bucholz getting out of the van and walking around to the driver’s side.
On Aug. 10, investigators found the van — registered to the driver of the vehicle — parked in an underground garage of his apartment complex on the 2200 block of Golden Valley Road.
The van had a partially shattered passenger side window and officers found a 10mm discharged cartridge casing that matched a casing from the scene of the shooting. Fingerprints of Bucholz and the driver of the vehicle were also found in the van, according to the criminal complaint.
Video from the apartment shows Bucholz and the driver coming back about four minutes after the shooting, which took place about 12 blocks from the apartment.
Bucholz was arrested on Sept. 5 and admitted to knowing the driver of the vehicle and the woman who was shot.
Investigators searched Bucholz’s phone after his arrest and found a video of him holding a semi-automatic gun with an extended magazine and searches for newspaper articles about the murder.
Bucholz has prior convictions for gross misdemeanor threats of violence, felony drug sale and felony aiding an offender. Bucholz is also prohibited from owning a firearm.
Bucholz is currently in custody with his next court date set for Oct. 2.