Andrew Rothman
Member
I was in Kathy's living room when a guy on the next block got shot and killed in an argument over kid's bikes.
Kathy said, "I hope those were firecrackers" and we laughed.
They weren't.
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http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4832921.html
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1557/4834589.html
Kathy said, "I hope those were firecrackers" and we laughed.
They weren't.
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http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4832921.html
----------------------Man killed after argument over kids' bicycles
Terry Collins, Star Tribune
June 17, 2004 HOMI0617
A man was shot to death in a house in the 2900 block of N. 4th St. in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, police said.
Another man was wounded, apparently in the arm, and was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. His injuries were not life-threatening, police said.
Witnesses said the shooting apparently stemmed from an argument over some children's bicycles.
Police were called to the house about 9:40 p.m. They found the man's body in the foyer. His name has not been released pending notification of relatives.
The Minneapolis homicide unit is investigating.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1557/4834589.html
Minneapolis boys swap bikes; dad ends up dead
Jim Adams, Star Tribune
June 18, 2004 BIKE0618
"Little Todd" Copeland, 9, and a pal decided Tuesday that they liked each other's trick bicycles so much that they'd swap. But when their fathers heard about the trade, one didn't like it.
A fight ensued Wednesday night. When it ended, Little Todd's dad, Todd A. Copeland, 28, was dead and a friend had been shot in the arm outside a duplex in the 2900 block of N. 4th St. in Minneapolis' Hawthorne neighborhood.
About noon Thursday, police arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with the shooting. The suspect is a friend of the other father.
Details are still unfolding, but witnesses and police gave this account:
Copeland and his older brother, Michael, 30, were going to talk to other's boy father, who was unhappy that his son's blue trick bike with mag wheels had been traded for a black one that Copeland had put together in his back yard.
Before they met up with the other father, another neighborhood boy told them that Little Todd (whose real name is Don Quarius Copeland) and his friend had settled things.
So Todd Copeland and his brother went to the duplex, and Mike Copeland said that when he left about 8:30 p.m., his brother was drinking beer with friends, including Carlos DeFrance, 18.
A short time later, the other boy's father and his friend knocked on the door of the duplex. When Copeland came out, the father punched him and knocked him down. Copeland got up and chased the father into the street. DeFrance followed.
When the other father's friend pulled a gun, DeFrance and Copeland ran for the house. DeFrance was shot in the arm and was recuperating at home Thursday. Copeland was shot in the neck, side and chest.
In the upstairs unit of the duplex, Tina Kelm, 36, was putting her 1-year-old to bed when she heard shots and called police. Her brother, Joe DeMars, said he heard about four shots.
"Carlos came running in saying, 'I got shot! I got shot!' " DeMars said. He said he found Copeland inside at the bottom of the stairs. Blood stains remained there Thursday.
"I tried to grab him to see where he was shot," DeMars said. "He took three breaths and that was it. It was sad. Over a bike, a lousy, stupid bike."
According to public records, Copeland had several assault convictions in the past, as does the suspect. The suspect's family refused to comment Thursday.
Copeland's family said he was an energetic guy who loved fixing old bikes, bringing home unwanted dogs and spending time with his extended family. Besides his son and his fiancée, he had a 3-year-old daughter.
"He was a free spirit. He had his ups and downs, but he would give you his heart," said his older sister, Jessie Brewer.
His fiancée, Yolanda Thomas, said they planned to get married in a year and move to Brooklyn Center, not too far from their families in north Minneapolis.
Copeland planned to get a GED degree and find work to help pay for their wedding, she added. He had worked a few years ago as a chef. He used to wait for her at the bus stop when she came home from work, she said.
Added Copeland's aunt, Ruth Pendleton: "If everybody would use their anger and energy for the best and not for the worst, all this violence would not be happening."
City Council Member Don Samuels plans to hold a daylong vigil today at the shooting scene at 29th Av. N. and N. 4th St.
Jim Adams is at [email protected].
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