Hennepin County also indicts Kandiohi County homicide suspect – InForum

WILMAR

– Suspect

charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of a New London man,

after allegedly fleeing a domestic violence incident in Minneapolis, also facing criminal charges there.

Charges were filed Oct. 24 in Hennepin County against Amir Musa Matarieh, 26, of Minneapolis, the same day he was charged in Kandiohi County. A warrant was issued in the Hennepin County case, and Matarie has yet to appear. No court date has been set.

Matarie was arrested Oct. 22 on the Highway 71/23 Bypass near Willmar after being chased by multiple law enforcement agencies throughout western Minnesota. Officials said Matarie fled from an apartment in Minneapolis where a domestic incident was reported that day.

According to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court, Matarie allegedly held his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint in her Minneapolis apartment before he began shooting her and two other adult men as they fled.

Three felony charges of second-degree assault and a charge of domestic assault were filed in Hennepin County.

According to a criminal complaint, officers responded to a report of a man firing a gun from the balcony of a residence in the 2900 block of Lindale Avenue South around noon on Oct. 22.

Upon arrival, police officers learned that the suspect, Matarije, had allegedly shot three people, including his ex-girlfriend. She told police that she and Matarije have a 2-year-old child together and that she and the child live in an apartment while Matarije lives elsewhere.

In a statement last week, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the child was in daycare at the time of the incident and was safely taken into the care of other family members.

The woman told police that she and her current boyfriend were in the apartment when Matarie arrived. According to the complaint, he became very angry, started arguing and at one point pushed her to the ground. He then allegedly pulled out a gun and put it to the back of her head.

Matarie also pointed the gun at her boyfriend several times as they continued to fight.

In the end, she and her boyfriend were able to run out of the apartment.

Matarie allegedly followed them, brandishing a gun, as they exited the building. At one point, he allegedly pistol-whipped the man twice in the head, according to the complaint.

At that moment, another adult man arrived in a car to help the two victims. Matarie allegedly pointed a gun at the man, ran up to his car and began hitting the windshield with the gun.

As the three of them fled, Matarie returned to the building.

A short time later, the woman told police she heard several gunshots. She also stated that Matarije appeared to be under the influence of drugs because she noticed a white powder under his nose when they argued.

According to the complaint, police eventually contacted Matarie by phone and learned he fled the scene and began traveling west in a vehicle.

During the conversation with the negotiators, Matarije allegedly demanded to speak to his ex-girlfriend and at one point told the negotiators that he would kill bystanders if he could not speak to her.

Matarie is charged in Kandiohi County District Court with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and fleeing police in a vehicle.

Jerome “Jerry” Skulzacek, 55, of New London was previously identified as the driver who was fatally shot on the highway near Willmar. Matarije allegedly tried to steal the man’s car to continue his escape from authorities.

Matarieh is accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old Peter Majerczak at his Lake Lillian home less than an hour earlier. The Kandiyohi Sheriff’s Office previously said Majerczak is in stable condition and is expected to survive the injury.

Matarie’s next court appearance in Kandiohi County is currently scheduled for November 25. He remained in custody Friday at the Kandiohi County Jail, where he is being held on $3.5 million bail.