ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — A Brooklyn Center man has been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of his ex-wife last week.
Robert McCloud, 64, is charged with second-degree murder with intent, not premeditated, in the shooting.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, police were called to Grimes Avenue North in Robbinsdale at about 9:15 a.m. Friday. They had been informed that a man had murdered his ex-wife.
The complaint states that officers forced entry into the home and found a woman laying on the floor in the master bedroom. She appeared to have trauma to her head, and officers found a discharged cartridge casing nearby. An autopsy later showed that she died of a gunshot wound to her head.
The person who reported the shooting told police that McCloud had recently bought a gun. It was also reported that McCloud admitted he'd gone to his ex-wife's home and shot her when he thought she was about to call 911.
According to the complaint, officers found McCloud at his home and began negotiating with him to come out. They took him into custody at about 9 p.m. During the negotiations, the complaint says McCloud was heard saying the “plan was to take care of business with [Victim] then myself but I took care of business with her and I left.”
A pistol was found at McCloud's home, along with a key to the victim's home and clothing that appeared to have blood on it. Police were also able to track down flash drives he had mailed to family members before the shooting. In a video, the complaint says that McCloud said “he knew it was wrong to involve Victim, but that Victim had just remarried and he wasn’t going to let 'that hillbilly' get all his stuff and his wife."
McCloud's bail has been set at $2 million.
According to 2019 data from the Minnesota Department of Health, about 21 Minnesotans are killed every year by an intimate partner. Some reports say domestic violence is up by nearly 10% nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
If you or anyone you know is in danger, here are some resources:
- In Minnesota, call Women's Advocates Crisis Line: 651-227-8284
- In Minnesota, call Cornerstone’s Day One Crisis Hotline at 1-866-223-1111
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Always call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
- The Domestic Abuse Project offers assistance
- The Domestic Abuse Service Center lists resources available through Hennepin County
