Bayport man charged in ‘unprovoked’ slaying of 19-year-old who graduated hours earlier

Kristi Miller, Pioneer Press
·4 min read

A Bayport man has been charged with murder in connection with a Brooklyn Park shooting last week in which a 19-year-old was killed hours after he graduated from high school.

Daniel Martez Walker, 31, of Bayport was charged this week with one count of second degree murder with intent, not premeditated, and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a violent crime.

Although the victim was not identified by officials, a GoFundMe account identified the 19-year-old as Reese Crenshaw, who had “not left the house in months” so he could do the work necessary to graduate. As of Sunday night, more than $11,000 had been raised.

The GoFundMe account said the Crenshaw had graduated from high school the night before after a “long road” where he was determined to do what it took to graduate.

“He canceled plans with friends and missed family gatherings — all so he could graduate on time,” the page said.

About 15 members of his family showed up at the graduation to cheer him on. One of the last things his mother said to him was “You see? You can do anything,” his aunt, Allegra Sletten, the organizer of the GoFundMe page, wrote. “As you can imagine, her immense pride about her son’s graduation was quickly replaced by a deep, dark sorrow that no parent should ever have to experience.”

That night, a girl he was friends with invited him to a co-worker’s birthday celebration, she wrote. Walker was at the party. The two men had never met before, she wrote, noting that numerous witnesses said the shooting was entirely unprovoked.

His aunt said Crenshaw was a “blessing” and that he was “hardworking, spiritual, and had a fantastic sense of humor.”

He was a father and “wanted to be a better man for his daughter. Reese had so much love to give, and he gave it with an open heart. He was a child whose life was beginning. He was murdered by a fully grown man who should have already been in police custody,” she wrote.

The fundraiser is to help his mother with funeral expenses. “She wants her son to be remembered for the bright light that he was,” Sletten wrote.

The complaint gives the following details about the shooting:

Sometime before 2 a.m. on June 2, a group was sitting at a card table inside a garage during a birthday party in the 9500 block of Thomas Avenue North in Brooklyn Park. Several people at the table were “freestyle rapping” when “without provocation” Walker stood and shot a 19-year-old man sitting at the table with a purple and black 9mm gun at close range.

The man was taken to Unity Hospital in Fridley just before 2 a.m. and pronounced dead from a single gunshot to the chest.

During their investigation, officers talked to at least four witnesses who said Walker shot the 19-year-old who was “just sitting there, not even talking,” right before he was shot.

A few hours later, at 6:10 a.m. police tried to arrest Walker at a Brooklyn Park apartment building. He ran into a third-story apartment and appeared as if he were about to jump off the balcony when he was surrounded and taken into custody.

A tenant at the apartment told investigators that Walker had pointed to news articles about the shooting death and said he had been the one who shot the 19-year-old in the chest.

When they booked Walker, he had a handwritten note on his body. Officers were able to read the first line which said, “Tell JoJo that I sold the gun that had the body on it.” Walker then snatched the paper, stuffed it in his mouth and swallowed all but a few scraps of the note.

At first, Walker tried to give an alibi, but then when confronted with evidence he changed his story and admitted that he shot and killed Crenshaw. He claimed that there was a $50,000 bounty on his life and that the 19-year-old might have known about it. He claimed he shot the victim before the victim shot him. He then said he sold the murder weapon to someone he knew.

Investigators were able to find the person who had bought the gun and recovered the weapon.

Court records reveal that Walker, who was on parole during the shooting, has been convicted of numerous violent crimes, including five burglaries and a robbery. Because of his convictions he is prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition.

Walker remains in custody.

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