DULUTH – A Duluth man has been charged in the fatal shooting of Chazz Toney in October in the Central Hillside neighborhood, as well as shooting the wrong man, who survived, the previous night.
Branden Russell King, 32, was charged with second-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon Monday, Jan. 12, in St. Louis County District Court.
After the first attempt, King allegedly told a witness that “the wrong guy” had been shot and showed them a gun, according to the criminal complaint. Toney was the intended target, authorities allege in court papers.
According to court filings: The same witness told officials they saw both King, dressed in all black including a balaclava, and Toney separately before the second shooting, heard gunshots, and then saw King standing near the victim’s body.
Duluth Police officers found Toney, also known as “Cash,” lying face down with a cigarillo still in his mouth and his phone and key lanyard in his hand. The medical examiner said he died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head, according to the complaint.
The gun casings from Toney’s death likely came from the same gun that was used the previous night, law enforcement officials said in the court documents.
King has a long list of convictions in St. Louis and Carlton counties. He does not yet have an attorney listed for him.
