Charges: Fatal shooting at St. Cloud party was retaliation for stabbing in July
Booking photo for Deionte Jaewon Parker (Courtesy of the Stearns County Sheriff's Office)
A 26-year-old man has been charged in connection with a shooting at a party in St. Cloud that killed one man and injured two others.
Deionte Jaewon Parker faces charges of second-degree murder, second-degree assault and illegal possession of a firearm. The Stearns County Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that his bail had been set at $3 million without conditions or $1.5 million with conditions.
As previously reported, authorities were called to a residence on the 700 block of 6th Avenue South in St. Cloud just before 4 a.m. on Oct. 22 on a report of a man having been shot.
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Officers were called over to Antonio Carl Harris Jr., 34, who was lying on the ground receiving chest compressions, according to a criminal complaint. They saw gunshot wounds to his jaw and left and right abdomen. Harris was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
Two other men, 52 and 26, had also been shot. One suffered a through-and-through gunshot wound to the leg and the other was shot in the foot, court documents state.
Officers believe the shooting may have been retaliation for a stabbing that occurred in July.
Through the investigation, officers learned that Parker had shown up to the party armed. One of the victims told police that he had been involved in the prior stabbing incident and that Parker had pointed a gun at him.
The victim told police that Harris had been trying to negotiate a truce between the two sides outside the party before Parker shot him, court documents state. After shooting Harris, the victim said that Parker fired shots at the house.
Others at the party reported seeing Parker walking with a gun cocked towards Harris before shooting him, according to court officials.
Investigators also learned that one week prior to the shooting, Parker and Harris got into an argument in downtown St. Cloud. According to court documents, Parker is seen on surveillance video raising his hands in a gun-like motion toward Harris.
The Midwest Medical Examiner determined that Harris died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, torso and extremities. Four bullets were recovered from his body, according to court documents.
Court records note that Parker was convicted of second-degree assault in 2020, making him ineligible to own a firearm.