ST PAUL, Minn. — A 25-year-old Minneapolis man is accused of fatally shooting a man who he claimed assaulted him in an act of road rage Monday night in St. Paul.
Ian Loi Bursey is charged with two counts of second-degree murder after he shot a man Monday around 7:30 p.m. on the 500 block of Front Avenue. Bursey told officials that the shooting stemmed from an incident that began on Interstate 35E.
According to court documents, Bursey, who was driving a silver Hyundai, was merging onto the interstate and then allegedly "brake checked" a red Toyota Corolla that had let him in. Prosecutors say Bursey "brake checked" him and then later accused the driver of the Corolla of cutting him off after the two vehicles got off at Maryland Avenue. Court documents go onto say that Bursey followed the Corolla west on Maryland Avenue and south on Dale Street.
Prosecutors say Bursey then followed the Corolla into the parking lot of a strip mall and allegedly threw something at the vehicle. The driver of the Corolla then went into a store and then while leaving the lot, saw Bursey parked nearby. Court documents say the driver of the Corolla pulled up next to Bursey's Hundai, and then the passenger of the Corolla got out and started punching Bursey. Bursey then fired his gun, according to court documents.
The driver of the Corolla then began driving toward Regions Hospital, but was involved in a crash near 12th Street and Cedar Street. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the passenger unconscious with a gunshot wound. The passenger, later identified as 26-year-old Tajai Evans of St. Paul, died at the scene.
Bursey told investigators that the Corolla cut him off about five times before the confrontation, however, was unable to provide much detail about what occurred. He told officials that his anxiety affects his memory. He did tell authorities that he followed the vehicle to the strip mall to get the license plate number, but officials say he didn't have any record of the plate number. Bursey, who says he's a rideshare driver, told investigators that he later parked and tried to get a rider when Evans started punching him.
Bursey said he tried to punch back but couldn't. He told officials he racked a round into the chamber as a warning, and shot twice from inside the vehicle. Evans then ran off and Bursey called 911. He told officials he wasn't trying to shoot and kill Evans, according to the charging documents, and when asked if he thought Evans had a weapon, Bursey told officials "it looked like the other man kind of did." The driver of the Corolla, however, told police that Bursey shot so quickly after the first punch was thrown that "it seemed like Bursey had been planning something," the criminal complaint says.
