A Minneapolis man who went on a shooting spree that claimed three lives in the fall of 2024 and ended with him being shot by St. Paul police has been found guilty of murder by a Hennepin County jury.
Earl Bennett (Courtesy of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
Earl Bennett, 41, was convicted Monday of three counts of second-degree intentional murder stemming from an Oct. 27, 2024, shooting at a homeless encampment.
Authorities said Bennett was wearing a balaclava-type mask when he stepped into a tent where the three victims were and asked for Christopher Martell Washington, 38. He then shot Washington in the neck and thigh and shot Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr., 32, in his neck and back of his head. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. He also shot Samantha Jo Moss, 35, in the head, shoulder and hand. She later died of her injuries at the hospital.
The next day, at about 5:15 p.m., police responded to reports that a resident at a Minneapolis sober living house had shot another resident in the neck. Two people said Bennett was the shooter.
Less than three hours later, at 7:45 p.m., St. Paul police officers responding to a shots-fired call encountered a man, later identified as Bennett, walking and holding a handgun, which police say he wouldn’t drop.
Bennett held the gun to his own head and pointed it at officers, according to an assault charge filed against him in Ramsey County. St. Paul officers shot Bennett multiple times.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office determined that the four officers who shot and wounded Lowe were justified in their actions.
The gun that Bennett held had been reported stolen from a truck in Apple Valley two days earlier. The owner said it had been loaded with 17 rounds, and three loaded magazines each containing 17 rounds were also stolen.
In addition to the three murder charges at the homeless encampment, Bennet was also charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting at the Minneapolis sober house. A hearing for that case is slated for Jan. 13.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims as they process today’s verdict,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a Monday statement. “This was a callous act of extreme violence that took three people from their community and from their loved ones. Mr. Bennett will be held accountable for his actions.”
Bennett’s sentencing is set for Jan.16.
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