St. Paul Charges Tenant in 3 Killings Over $65 Garage Dispute

Q: Beyond a $65 parking fee, what deeper grievances fueled a planned military enlistee's deadly rampage?

The $65 parking dispute appears to have been the trigger, not the full cause. Investigators say Tsegaab Binessu described much broader resentment tied to his life in the United States, including years of failed efforts to reunite with his wife and children in Ethiopia, a divorce he blamed on that separation, and a belief that he had been treated unfairly as a Black immigrant. According to charging documents and police interviews, Binessu said he “hated the American system” and felt apartment management had dismissed his problems by blaming “the system.” He told investigators he had lost “everything he cared about” — his family, business and peace of mind — and that life no longer made sense without them. Those statements point to accumulated personal grievance, alienation and despair well beyond the parking contract itself. The timing also suggests broader instability. Authorities say he had sold his car the day of the shooting, planned to enlist in the Navy, had quit his trucking job about two months earlier, and was arrested hours later with camping gear, his passport and other documents, suggesting possible flight preparations. Taken together, the evidence indicates the killings were fueled by a mix of personal collapse, anger over immigration-related family separation, perceived racial and systemic unfairness, and a sense that he had lost control of his future. The parking fee dispute was the immediate flashpoint in a much deeper crisis.

3 articles · Updated · KSTP · Jul 22

Three murder charges were filed Tuesday against 30-year-old Tsegaab Binessu, less than 24 hours after three people were found shot dead at a St. Paul apartment complex.
Charging documents say the killings followed an argument over canceling a renewed $65-a-month parking garage contract after staff told Binessu he still had to pay.
Surveillance video shows Binessu pull a gun during a conversation in the leasing office, then shoot Adam Wilwerding six times and Dena Silcox six times before more shots were heard off camera; police recovered 21 casings.
Police arrested Binessu Monday night on the Iron Range while he was driving Nansi Fuentes Zambrano's car; his roommate told investigators Binessu said he had killed three people and was heading to a police station.
Residents gathered at a memorial Tuesday, mourning the victims and questioning how a dispute at the Highland Park complex turned into a triple homicide; Binessu is due in court Wednesday and faces up to 40 years per count.