Shakopee park shooting: Brooklyn Center man accused of killing co-worker

SHAKOPEE, Minn. (FOX 9) - An 18-year-old Brooklyn Center man is accused of fatally shooting another man on a trail in a Shakopee park, according to charges filed in Scott County Court.

Shakopee fatal shooting

What we know:

The complaint states at about 7:03 p.m. on Oct. 4 in Wilkie Park in Shakopee, officers were sent for an emergency medical call after three people found a man off the eastern trail. Officers say they found the man in weeds about 30 feet off the path, with dried blood on his face and signs he had been dragged.

The complaint also says officers found damage to the man’s apartment door in Shakopee and learned he had reported a break-in on Oct. 3. Neighbors and relatives described him as a landscaper who let Ortiz drive his vehicles and sometimes stay at the apartment, and the man’s sister told officers she suspected Ortiz and believed the two were romantically involved.

The backstory:

The complaint states officers followed blood spots on the trail to a large pool of blood and drag marks leading into the ditch where the body was found. Investigators collected three spent 9 mm casings and one live 9 mm round there, and later found another 9 mm casing about 150 feet away after two walkers said they had picked it up and tossed it off the trail on Oct. 4.

The complaint states police say the man’s phone was not found near his body, but officers later tracked it to dense vegetation about 130 feet north of where he was found. Officers searched with a cell site simulator, dogs and mowing equipment, but had not found a gun as of Oct. 9.

Timeline:

The complaint states at about 5:15 p.m. Oct. 3 at Menards in Burnsville, surveillance shows Ortiz driving the victim’s 2023 Ford Raptor into the lot with the victim in the passenger seat. The filing says they went inside, picked out a door lock and left at about 5:32 p.m. with Ortiz again in the driver’s seat.

How investigators tracked Ortiz

Dig deeper:

The complaint states detectives interviewed Ortiz on Oct. 5 and said his story changed when they asked him to walk through Oct. 3 in more detail. The filing says he told them he worked with the victim during the week for Magnolia and on weekends for the victim’s own business, and that he denied driving the Raptor that weekend, denied a romantic relationship and denied owning a gun.

Investigators say phone data and Menards video did not match Ortiz’s timeline, and authorities later confronted him with those gaps by phone on Oct. 6, according to the complaint. The filing says Ortiz said he did not remember that day, stepped outside to get his phone back and was then arrested.

The complaint states an autopsy shows the victim was shot four times.

Investigators say the victim owned five vehicles, and the missing Raptor was found Oct. 5 in an apartment lot about 1.1 miles from Ortiz’s address. The complaint also says officers found a Raptor key in a desk with Ortiz’s personal documents, and a review of his phone found Glock searches on Sept. 28, Sept. 30, Oct. 3 and Oct. 4; according to the complaint, a translated Sept. 28 message from Ortiz’s phone said, "Get me a Glock, buddy."

What we don't know:

The complaint does not say what led to the shooting or whether investigators believe anyone else was involved. 

The Source: Criminal charges filed in Scott County Court.