Brooklyn Park Homicide Victim Killed Hours After Graduating High School
Reese Crenshaw had just attended his high school graduation when hours later he was shot and killed at a party in Brooklyn Park, according to a member of his family.
Crenshaw was shot and killed in the early morning of June 2 at the party he went to with a friend. According to witnesses and a relative, Crenshaw was shot in the chest “without provocation” by a suspect with a lengthy criminal history who Crenshaw had never met before.
The suspect, Daniel Martez Walker, 31, of Bayport is charged with second-degree murder.
The shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. on Friday, June 2, at a home in the 9500 block of Thomas Avenue North. The criminal complaint filed says attendees of the party were in the garage and the victim was sitting with several others at a card table when Walker stood up and shot the victim in the chest at close range. One witness stated that Crenshaw was “just sitting there, not even talking,” before he was fatally shot, the complaint said.
Walker later admitted to the shooting when confronted with police evidence. In the criminal complaint, Walker claimed there was “a 50-thousand dollar bounty on his life” and that the victim “may have known about the bounty.” Walker also claimed that the victim “pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him” before he shot the 19-year-old.
Daniel Martez Walker/Photo provided by Hennepin County jail
Relative: Shooting Victim “Was a Blessing” to Others
In a post on the GoFundMe site to raise funds for funeral and burial costs, Allegra Sletten described her nephew as “a blessing” to others who knew him.
“He was hardworking, spiritual, and had a fantastic sense of humor,” Sletten posted. “He was a father, a brother, a son, a nephew, and a friend. He wanted to be a better man for his daughter.”
Crenshaw had graduated on June 1 from Fairview Alternative High School in Roseville.
“It had been a long road,” Sletten stated in the GoFundMe post. “Determined to graduate, Reese had not left the house in months. He canceled plans with friends and missed family gatherings – all so he could graduate on time.”
Sletten described her sister, Crenshaw’s mother, as heartbroken.
“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,” she stated.
Sletten added, “She wants her son to be remembered for the bright light that he was.”
Reese Crenshaw graduation photo/credit family
