A migrant, frustrated over his inability to cancel a parking garage contract, allegedly shot three employees at his Minnesota apartment complex, resulting in their deaths.
Tsegaab Binessu, 30, is accused of killing Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, 25, Dena Silcox, 56, and Adam Wilwerding, 43, at the St. Paul, Minnesota complex on Monday, according to KSTP.
Binessu, originally from Ethiopia, allegedly wanted to cancel his $65-a-month parking garage contract to pursue a career in the Navy, as per documents reviewed by the outlet.
After contacting staffers about the cancellation process, he was informed that he could not cancel so soon after renewing his contract. Binessu then reportedly informed the workers that he would visit the leasing office, which is when the alleged shooting occurred.
Court documents reveal that he went to the leasing office shortly after the phone call and allegedly executed the three workers.
He is accused of shooting Wilwerding, a community manager affectionately called AJ, six times, and Silcox, the assistant manager, who had been with the office for nearly a decade, also six times. Silcox reportedly screamed “No, no – no no” as Wilwerding was shot.
Silcox was shot five times in quick succession before Binessu allegedly fired a final shot, causing her to fall to the ground, court documents state, as per St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Surveillance footage captured a scream, followed by Binessu allegedly firing four additional shots. Fuentes Zambrano was found dead in a room at the back of the office, having been shot while attempting to escape through a window, with a gunshot wound to her head.
Investigators discovered 21 spent shell casings in the office, according to the documents.
Binessu was apprehended in Virginia, Minn., approximately 200 miles from the crime scene, and reportedly confessed to the killings in a phone call with his roommate, who then alerted the authorities.
The court documents state that the alleged shooter told his roommate he had argued with apartment management and ended up killing three people.
Binessu, found driving Fuentes Zambrano’s car, expressed disdain for the American system during his interrogation. He claimed that his seven-year effort to bring his wife and children from Ethiopia had been hindered by the immigration process, contributing to his divorce.
The court documents note that Binessu believes he was treated unfairly because he is black and an immigrant. He repeatedly stated he had lost everything important to him: his wife, his children, his business, and his peace of mind, and that life without his family no longer made sense.
He also told investigators he had quit his truck driving job due to stress.
Binessu remained silent about what transpired inside the leasing office. He faces second-degree murder charges and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. Each murder charge carries a potential 40-year sentence.
Tributes have poured in for the victims. Silcox’s friends described her as someone with a vibrant spirit who brought joy to everyone she knew.
“Her sudden and violent passing has left us all in shock,” they stated in a fundraiser.
“Dena’s children, who meant the world to her, are facing this unimaginable time with bravery and love.”
At a vigil on Tuesday, Silcox’s father Robert remembered her as a fabulous piano player, while her brother Erik said she had a fire in her belly, according to KARE 11.
Meanwhile, Zambrano’s friend Estreya Velazquez remarked, “She deserved so much more than what was given to her.”
Ashley Chester, a resident of the apartment complex, paid homage to Wilwerding, noting he was loved by all tenants.
“They were just good people, really good people, and you can tell because there’s residents that’s been here for years, and that says a lot,” she said about the three victims and those who attended the vigil in their memory.
“We’re definitely together, and we’re going to stay together. We’re family now, at this point.”
