- Doug Lewis, a 39-year-old delivery driver, was killed on May 4 after a white man who said he feared for his life shot him four times.
- Anthony J. Trifiletti, 24, drove away while Lewis bled in the street. He's been charged with second-degree murder.
- The shooting came just weeks before the police killing of
George Floyd , which took place only 14 miles away.
A 24-year-old
According to the outlet, Anthony Trifiletti was driving in St. Paul, Minnesota, on May 4 when a car bumped his pickup truck. When he got out, he and the driver of the car, Doug Lewis, got into a shouting match and then both drove away. Trifiletti told police that he "unintentionally followed" Lewis when they left, and Lewis — who was black — stopped his car and began approaching him.
When he did, Trifiletti pulled a gun from his glove compartment and fired four times at Lewis from 10 feet away. He drove off as the man bled in the street, the Star Tribune reported.
The complaint states officers found four 9mm shell casings on the ground in the area, local ABC affiliate KSTP reported.
—Saint Paul Police Department (@sppdmn) May 4, 2020
Trifiletti and a friend told police that during the argument with Lewis they had heard him say "I'm GD," an apparent reference to a gang. But a young couple who witnessed the dispute never reported hearing a reference to "GD," the paper reported.
Trifiletti also told police he fired because he "thought he was going to die and was afraid for his life," according to court records viewed by the Star Tribune.
Trifiletti said he didn't think just driving away was an option because he though Lewis would shoot at him, KSTP reported.
Lewis' sister Valerie told the Star Tribune she believed Trifiletti only perceived Lewis as a threat because of his
"White people can get away with killing a black man by saying they were afraid," Lewis told the Star Tribune. "He has brought great pain to my family."
Lewis, 39, worked as a delivery driver and was the father of four children.
Lewis' death came only three weeks before death of George Floyd, who was killed when a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. That killing took place less than 14 miles from the scene of Lewis' shooting in nearby St. Paul.
Floyd's death, which was captured on video, sparked international outrage and prompted cities around the globe to erupt into protest.
In
For example, black families in the Minneapolis own their homes at far lower rates than white families, according to The New York Times, and the city's predominantly white police force has been accused of racist practices for decades.
Floyd's death has also sparked national attention to the race element in Lewis' recent killing in St. Paul.
"The things that are great about it are great," Betsy Hodges, a former mayor of Minneapolis, told The Times about the city. "And it is also a city that has deep challenges, especially regarding race."
- Read more:
- Derek Chauvin had 16 complaints made against him that were closed with 'no discipline.' A former member of the police review board says that's proof of a broken system.
- Thousands across the UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Canada condemn racism and demand justice at global Black Lives Matter protests
- Nearly 60% of people left unconscious from neck restraints used by Minneapolis police officers were black, report finds
- A New York police officer drew his gun on protesters. Mayor Bill de Blasio says he 'should have his gun and badge taken away.'
- At least 7 people have been shot and killed in this weekend's anti-police violence protests in the wake of George Floyd's death