Shakopee mayhem: Suspect in killing shot dead

One man's rampage began Tuesday morning with a carjacking, continued with the fatal stabbing of his brother's girlfriend and ended with his lifeless, bullet-riddled body under a rain-soaked sheet along a Shakopee highway.

Police say they're not certain why Joshua James Walker, 34, of Shakopee drove the stolen car to the Shakopee home of Asia King, 30, and stabbed her multiple times before leading cops on a brief chase.

The car spun out on a busy on-ramp at Hwy. 169 in Shakopee, where officers fatally shot Walker after a standoff during morning rush hour.

Though authorities would not confirm the names of the suspect or victim, Heather Hoff identified Walker as the man who killed her sister. She described Walker as a drug addict who had psychological problems. She doesn't know what led him to stab King.

"We were just 11 months apart," Hoff, 31, said of her only sibling. "You can assume that my heart just got ripped out of my chest. I don't know what I'm going to do right now."

King died at St. Francis Medical Center in Shakopee. A man at the home of Walker's parents declined to comment.

State records show Walker, the father of at least one child, had convictions spanning 12 years for theft, robbery, drug possession and drunken driving.

Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate said police responded at 8:15 to a 911 call that reported a stabbing at King's house at 127 N. Main St. Walker, driving a stolen Hyundai Sonata, rammed one of the responding squad cars as he fled.

Within minutes, police caught up to him on the northbound ramp leading from Marshall road onto Hwy. 169. One of the squads forced the car into the ditch. Officers, with guns drawn, repeatedly ordered Walker to surrender. He refused, and officers saw "a dark object" in his hand.

"The officers involved, fearing for their lives, fatally shot and killed the suspect." Tate said. He would not confirm whether the object was a gun.

Witness Johnny Olson said that as he watched the drama unfold for at least an hour, he could hear police saying, "Exit the vehicle, exit the vehicle," to the suspect. They also warned, "If you do not comply, we will send the dog in," Olson added.

"Then we heard a single gunshot, and the dog barked like crazy," Olson said. "Then this SUV came rolling up, and there were six, seven cops. The doors open up, and the cops stand behind the doors."

Witness Susan Chapman said, "I saw a black vehicle rolling backward on the 169 northbound ramp with roughly two police cars behind it. I then saw a police officer outside of his vehicle shooting at the black vehicle that was still rolling backward."

Chapman said additional police cars came, "and other officers began shooting at the black vehicle as well." The man opened his car door and "appeared to be shooting at the first police officer," Chapman said.

After the shooting stopped, Olson said, "They covered the guy in the car with a white sheet."

Two officers fired multiple times, Tate said. They were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.

Tate said no one was hurt during the carjacking, which occurred in Plymouth that morning.

King and her boyfriend had just moved back to Minnesota from Montana, where the sisters grew up. King had an associate's degree from Normandale Community College in Bloomington and was continuing her education.

Hoff wants her sister remembered as "really caring and strong and very smart. She had been a drug addict for a long time but was able to turn it around. When I say strong, that's what I mean."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482 Abby Simons • 612-673-4921