As Blaine C. Christofferson walked across the parking lot after leaving the Cherry Pit bar in St. Paul early Saturday, a friend saw a man in a ski mask approach Christofferson and grab him by his jacket hood, according to court documents.

Then the friend heard a gunshot and heard Christofferson say, "Take what I have, I don't have anything, take my money, take my wallet," the documents said. He died of his injuries.

A police dog tracked the suspect to the front yard of a house about two blocks away, and on Tuesday Audie Matthews, 32, was charged with one count of second-degree murder.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court, a black jacket and the gun allegedly used in the shooting were found down the block from the bar, which is at Minnehaha and White Bear Avenues. Police tracked shoe prints to Matthews, who was wearing only a T-shirt and pants despite the 5-degree temperature. Officers found blood on his shoes and on money he carried, the complaint said. A ski mask was found a short distance away.

The complaint said Matthews told police he had been at the Cherry Pit for about an hour. He said he'd left at closing and walked about a half-block before police stopped him. He said he'd left his jacket and hat in a girl's car.

According to the Ramsey County jail log, Matthews lives in northeast Minneapolis, but the complaint lists no permanent address. He has a lengthy criminal record in Tennessee and Minnesota, including convictions for assaults, weapons possession, drugs, theft, burglary and robbery.

PAT PHEIFER