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Minneapolis man admits recklessly handling gun, fatally shooting another man

Shot fired when magazine was slammed into the weapon, witness said.

October 26, 2021 at 5:04PM

A Minneapolis man has admitted in court to recklessly handling a gun and fatally shooting another man in a north Minneapolis kitchen.

Prince A.Q. Brown, 36, pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court last week to second-degree manslaughter in connection with the Jan. 21 killing of 38-year-old David M.A. Spicer, of Minneapolis, in the 400 block of N. 33rd Avenue.

The plea agreement calls for Brown, who initially was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, to receive a sentence of slightly more than seven years.

That would mean he would serve about two-thirds of that time in prison and the balance on supervised release.

However, according to the plea agreement, Brown reserves the right to ask that he be allowed to serve his time on electronic home monitoring.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, when Judge Kerry Meyer will decide whether to accept the plea deal and where Brown will serve his sentence.

A report of shots fired sent officers to the home, where they found Spicer on the ground and bleeding. Medical responders declared him dead at the scene.

A witness said he was in the kitchen with others when Brown picked up a gun off the table and was handling it "as though he was not familiar with firearms," the criminal complaint read.

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Brown was being "careless and … reckless," the complaint quoted the witness as saying.

Brown slammed a magazine into the gun, "which caused the gun to fire" a round that struck Spicer, according to the charging document.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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about the writer

Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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