Man charged with murder in shooting death of Deshaun Hill Jr.

A man accused of fatally shooting a North High School student earlier this month in north Minneapolis has been arrested and charged with murder, court records show.

Cody Fohrenkam, 29, faces one count of second-degree murder in connection with the killing of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. the afternoon of Feb. 9 near Golden Valley Road and North Penn Avenue.

Hill, an honor roll student and member of his school’s football and basketball teams, was rushed to North Memorial Health Hospital but later died of a single gunshot wound to the head.

RELATED: Community continues to honor 15-year-old shooting victim Deshaun Hill Jr.

From talking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage, investigators were able to piece together the following:

Hill was walking eastbound on Golden Valley Road as he approached the shooter, who was walking in the opposite direction. As they passed each other, they appeared to be “close enough to possibly brush shoulders.” At that point, the complaint states Hill continued walking along while the suspect stopped. Three gunshots could then be heard before the suspect ran off.

He was wearing red pants and a black puffy coat and was carrying a backpack. Multiple witnesses said they recalled seeing this man in the area around the time of the shooting.

Officers were able to match the suspect’s description to Fohrenkam and executed a search warrant at the home where he went after the shooting. There, they found a backpack with markings consistent with the one the shooter was carrying in surveillance video.

In an interview with police, Fohrenkam initially denied being in the state the day of the shooting, saying he was in Wisconsin and later changed his story to say he was in south Minneapolis with his cousin. He eventually relented and admitted to being in the area of the shooting after investigators told him he was caught on video.

Police announced they had arrested a suspect in Hill’s death on Wednesday. Fohrenkam was booked into Hennepin County Jail on Friday and is being held on bail of $1 million. His first court appearance is set for Wednesday afternoon.

Minnesota court records show Fohrenkam has been convicted of several felonies in the past. He pleaded guilty in two separate simple robbery cases — one in connection with a 2013 incident in Cloquet and another in 2014 in Brooklyn Park. He also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree arson for a 2012 incident in Cloquet.

Fohrenkam also has multiple convictions for drug and weapons violations dating back to 2010.

Hill’s funeral is taking place 2 p.m. Tuesday at North Central University in Minneapolis.