A Minneapolis man used his dying breath to identify the friend who shot him in October, according to murder charges filed Wednesday.
Brent D. Buchan, 23, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count of second-degree murder with intent for the killing of Joshua-lee William Boyce.
Boyce, 25, was shot Oct. 25 and died the next day. Authorities allege that Buchan suspected Boyce of being responsible for killing one of his friends.
According to the criminal complaint: Police responded to gunfire at 11:56 p.m. in the alley of the 1700 block of N. Fremont Avenue.
Police found Boyce standing in the doorway of his father's home. He was shot in the chest and torso, but was able to identify Buchan by name.
"After [Boyce] said the name, he then said, 'my dying breath,' " the charges said.
Boyce was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
Boyce's father told police his son had left the house to buy marijuana from Buchan when he was shot, and that the two had been fighting because Buchan thought Boyce was involved in his friend's killing.
Surveillance video captured the shooting and a male saying, "I swear it wasn't me, Brenty."
Buchan was arrested a few weeks later and told police that his nickname was "Brenty," the charges said.
Buchan denied having contact with Boyce the night he was shot, but police confronted him with images of Facebook messages between him and Buchan organizing the meeting, according to the complaint.
Buchan allegedly admitted the messages were from him.
CHAO XIONG
