A 33-year-old man stood over a man on a downtown St. Paul light rail platform and shot him at least three times, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Shawn M. Tillman, of St. Paul, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the death before dawn Friday of Demitri G. Ellis-Strong, 37, also of St. Paul.
Tillman remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail ahead of a court appearance Tuesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
The light rail killing was one of three fatal shootings of men in the city over a six-hour span from late Thursday into early Friday. There have been 18 homicides in St. Paul this year. Last year saw 12 homicides in the city at this time.
Tillman's criminal history in Minnesota includes eight convictions for indecent exposure, and one each for a weapons offense, drug possession and assault. He also was a suspect in a criminal sexual misconduct case that police were investigating, the complaint read.
According to the complaint, which includes what video surveillance captured of the encounter:
An acquaintance of Tillman's said that Ellis-Strong and Tillman "have a beef" with each other.
Tillman approached Ellis-Strong, who took a few steps backward before being shot. Tillman walked closer and kept shooting. Tillman then ran and dropped a face covering.
An officer viewing the video recognized Tillman. A test of the DNA on the face covering by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension matched a sample on file with a state database of convicted offenders.
Tillman was arrested Saturday. He declined to answer questions about the shooting.
Tillman's criminal history in Minnesota includes eight convictions for indecent exposure, and one each for a weapons offense, drug possession and assault.
In the city's other homicides late last week:
Tylor R. Butterfly, 22, of St. Paul, was shot about 10:30 p.m. Thursday near W. Maryland Avenue and Matilda Street.
No arrests have been announced. Police are asking that anyone with information about the shooting to call investigators at 651-266-5650.
Tristan Trige, 38, of Brooklyn Park, was shot about 12:15 a.m. Friday near Sherburne Avenue and Mackubin Street.
A 28-year-old woman was arrested and remains jailed pending charges in connection with what police have described as a domestic dispute. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
