Zaria Rashun McKeever: Woman Shot Dead In Home-Invasion Allegedly Set Up By Ex-Boyfriend
Zaria Rashun McKeever was in her Brooklyn Park, Minnesota apartment with her new boyfriend early Tuesday, November 8, 2022, when the peace of the morning was shattered by home invaders.
Some teenagers kicked in the door to McKeever’s apartment and started shooting, according to police. In the gunfire, McKeever, 23, was hit multiple times and later succumbed to her injuries.
Law enforcement now says that McKeever’s former boyfriend allegedly ordered the teens — a 17-year-old and a 15-year-od — to break into her place and kill her current boyfriend. They were also instructed to takeout McKeever as well if she intervened, according to police.
McKeever’s current boyfriend told police that he was upstairs when he heard a commotion downstairs, including what sounded like a barrage of gunshots.
The man "was able to escape just prior to the shots being fired,” police inspector Elliot Faust told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper. The boyfriend told local media that he immediately ran to get help.
Police have taken the ex-boyfriend – Erick Dewaun Haynes of Brooklyn Park – into custody and charged him with second-degree murder with intent (not pre-meditated) and second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony.
"We believe Haynes directed the juveniles to kill the boyfriend and if the victim got in the way to kill her too," Faust told local media.
Brooklyn Park Police have confirmed that Haynes and McKeever have a child together and things recently turned sour between them.
Tiffynnie Epps, the victim’s sister, told local media that McKeever’s ex “knew that she was bettering her life” by moving on. He didn’t like that, she said.
After the relationship ended, Haynes began to show “concerning behavior such as following, stalking, and threatening McKeever," said police in a media release.
“Haynes admitted to detectives that he drove the two juveniles to the apartment that night with the intention of beating up McKeever’s boyfriend. Haynes also admitted that he knew that the two juvenile suspects planned to kick in the apartment door and confront the people inside. Haynes admitted that he waited in the car for the two juvenile suspects while they did this. Haynes also admitted that he bought the gun that was used in the crime and that he had given it to one of the juvenile suspects that night,” says the police news release.
Epps, the victim’s sister, said “pure evil and jealousy” is what led to the tragedy.
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