Man charged in new fatal shooting after murder arrest in 2021

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Investigators have linked a fatal shooting in early 2024 to a man already charged in another fatal shooting in May 2021.

What we know

Albert Jerome Lucas, 20, of St. Paul, is charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder for a shooting in Minneapolis that left one person dead and three others injured.

This latest round of charges comes after police arrested Lucas and found on him a gun believed to have been used in the fatal shooting.

At the time of the arrest and fatal shooting, Lucas already had a pending case stemming from another fatal shooting that occurred at an Amstar gas station in May 2021.

READ MORE: 4 shots, 1 dead in Minneapolis crime hotspot

Charges related to shooting in February 2024

Minneapolis police responded to a shooting near the intersection of Chicago and Franklin avenues just before 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 27.

Responding officers said they then found a man dead in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. They later learned that three other people had been shot but were expected to survive.

Investigators say surveillance camera footage from the crime scene shows three shooters arriving in a gray Kia. The complaint says footage shows the driver of the Kia “wrapping” the block before backing into the north end of an alley near where the shooting was supposed to have occurred.

The footage then shows the three shooters, wearing all black or dark clothing, hoods and masks, exit the Kia and head south before opening fire.

Three other people are also charged in the shooting.

Antonio Deshawn Timberlake, 27, is charged with second-degree murder after investigators determined he was in possession of the Kia at the time of the fatal shooting.

Victor Mortar Collins, 22, is charged with second-degree murder after law enforcement discovered he was in possession of one of the handguns used in the murder.

Elizabeth Arteaga Dominguez, 28, is charged with aiding and abetting an offender after police recovered text messages between her and Timberlake.

Lucas was arrested on May 7, 2024 near the 2600 block of East 29th Street in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis police said they recovered a handgun with an extended magazine from his sweatshirt during the arrest.

The criminal complaint says the Minneapolis Crime Lab determined that shell casings recovered in the fatal shooting at Chicago and Franklin Avenue matched test shell casings fired from that pistol.

Charges related to shooting in May 2021

Lucas is also accused of a fatal shooting that he is said to have committed when he was 17 years old.

In that incident, police responded to reports of a shooting at an Amstar gas station in the 1600 block of West Broadway Avenue around 5:50 p.m

According to investigators, surveillance camera footage shows the victim pumping gas when another vehicle pulls up next to him. That vehicle was reportedly driven by a woman and contained Lucas and another armed man.

The criminal complaint states that the two men then approached before one of them pointed a gun at him in a “threatening” manner.

The other man, later identified as Lucas, then opened fire, striking the victim multiple times and killing him.

Police later located the vehicle the suspects were in and spoke to the driver, who admitted to being the driver at the time of the murder. She added that she met him for the first time that day and admitted to dropping him off at a house in St. Paul, which she pointed out to investigators on a map.

Investigators subsequently arrested Lucas during a traffic stop for a felony in June 2021.

The case was previously dismissed because no witnesses were available, but is now being retried.

What’s next?

Lucas was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon for the February shooting, but information regarding a new court date has not yet been released.

The jury trial for the May 2021 shooting is scheduled to begin on the morning of December 9th.