Minneapolis Man In Fight With Children’s Mother Shot After Suspect Intervenes, Police Say

A dispute that started between a Minnesota man and his children’s mother ended in a fatal shooting when a second man stepped in and the two got into an altercation.

On the morning of April 29, Theodore Collins, 37, went to a home in Minneapolis, where he confronted the woman about one of their children and an issue related to Dedric Willis, 26, a criminal complaint states, WCCO reported.

Willis intervened and he and Collins started arguing until Collins allegedly slapped him in the face, police said.

Willis responded by allegedly pulling out a gun he had tucked in his waistband and shooting Collins before firing multiple shots into the air, according to the complaint.

The shooting victim’s girlfriend and another woman then arrived at the scene in an SUV, and the girlfriend shot at Willis as he fled, investigators said.

Collins was rushed to an area hospital and was later pronounced dead.

Willis, who was arrested after responding officers spotted him running away, faces a second-degree murder charge. He could be sentenced up to 40 years behind bars if convicted.

Citing initial police reports, WCCO reported that a woman involved in the incident was also taken into custody and officers recovered a 9mm Smith & Wesson Willis allegedly left at the scene.