A second teenager has been charged as an adult in connection with the double murder of 16-year-old cousins in Brooklyn Park last Halloween.
Courtney Lesean Parker, 17, of Minneapolis, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder stemming from the shooting of Chardid Hachi Farah, of Minneapolis, and Diriye Abdi Muhumed, of Brooklyn Park, near the intersection of Zane Court and Zane Avenue.
Parker remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of a June 5 court appearance. Messages were left with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.
Jaqual Ditez Sims-Miller, 16, of Brooklyn Park, was arrested and charged earlier with taking part in the shooting around 5 p.m. Oct. 31.
Minneapolis police wrote in a search warrant affidavit that the cousins were suspects in the death of Jaden Malik Anand Hollman, 21, in Minneapolis, a day earlier.
According to the charges against both defendants:
A 911 caller said they saw three people running from the scene shortly after hearing gunshots. Police found Muhumed dead. Farah was rushed to North Memorial Health Hospital, where he died a few days later.
Text messages from Muhumed's phone show him and Sims-Miller arguing over a missing firearm. Threats were made by both of them. The last text was sent four hours before the shooting.
Police also found at the scene discharged cartridge casings that matched a gun used in a July 25, 2023, shooting in the same area.
In a police interview, where he was accompanied by his parents, Sims-Miller admitted being involved in the shooting. He said Muhumed left a gun at Sims-Miller's house and they arranged to meet. Sims-Miller was armed when they met, and Muhumed brought two other people with him.
The meeting did not go as planned, Sims-Miller said, and he pulled out his gun and shot Farah. Parker struck Muhumed in the head with a gun. A struggle ensued, and Parker shot Muhumed in the chest.
