MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in March 2023.
A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to shooting and killing a man last year at a short-term rental property in Plymouth.
Raheim Tyrese Cooper pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder Thursday, stemming from the deadly shooting at a VRBO property on March 5, 2023. Sentencing is scheduled for March 21, 2024.
According to court documents, officers went to a home on Oakview Lane just before 11 p.m. on reports of a shooting at a large party. Prosecutors said when they arrived, they found the victim, only identified by the initials A.B., lying in the kitchen with multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite life-saving efforts, A.B. died at the scene.
As officers rendered aid to A.B. inside the residence, prosecutors said that officers stationed outside the home noticed a black backpack in front of a squad car, and asked partygoers who it belonged to. Prosecutors said when no one would claim it, officers looked inside and discovered an iPhone, several bags of marijuana and a loaded Glock 21C .45 caliber handgun that had been modified with a switch, making it fully automatic.
Investigators said they reviewed officer body camera footage from the scene, which showed a young woman wearing the backpack when officers arrived. Court documents said the girl told them she arrived to the party around 8 p.m. and was outside trying to get an Uber a few hours later when she heard what sounded like gunshots. She then told investigators that Cooper approached her outside shortly after the shooting, asking her to hold his backpack. The complaint said she took the bag, denying she knew what was inside and "did not think anything of it at the time."
Other witnesses who claimed to have arrived at the party with A.B. told police they heard Cooper and A.B. arguing, saying they were aware of an "ongoing dispute... over Snapchat" between the men before the shooting. That's when, one witness said, they saw Cooper hold a gun up in the air, followed by gunshots, and A.B. dropping to the ground. The witnesses said they did not explicitly see Cooper shoot him, but they also did not notice anyone else brandishing a gun.
Raheim denied being involved in his first post-Miranda interview with authorities, saying "someone he knows" — but who he wouldn't name — was responsible. He claimed he was handed the gun and subsequently put it in his backpack, giving it to the girl. He told investigators he did not believe they'd question or search her.
In a later interview, Cooper admitted to being at the party when he saw A.B., whom he had been fighting with for weeks leading up to the shooting. Court documents said he then admitted to punching A.B. in the face before another man at the party gave him a handgun, which "fired several rounds" after he claimed to have been pushed or bumped from behind.
Following an autopsy, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined A.B. died from multiple gunshot wounds.
A neighborhood resident told KARE 11 at the time that the situation became "hectic," and it was the "first time anything like this has happened" at the VRBO.
"Someone lost their life, so that's horrific to know what's happening at that moment, and just scary to know that happened 100 yards from where I was sitting on a Saturday night and that happened just across the street," he said.
The city of Plymouth later confirmed that the VRBO was licensed as a rental property, but the listing located by KARE 11 was taken down shortly after the incident.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: