Road rage charges: Suspect fatally shot St. Paul man while being punched
A Minneapolis man is facing murder charges after he allegedly shot and killed another man during a road rage confrontation in St. Paul on Monday, with the suspect allegedly telling police he "panicked" while being punched, court documents show.
Ian L. Bursey, 25, of Minneapolis, was charged Wednesday with two counts of 2nd-degree murder in connection with the death of 26-year-old Tajai Evans, of St. Paul.
According to the criminal complaint, Bursey called 911 around 7:30 p.m. Monday and reported he'd shot someone who'd assaulted him in a road rage incident.
As police were responding to the scene in the 500 block of Front Street, officers learned a car had crashed at 12th at Cedar streets.
At the crash scene, police found Evans – a passenger in the crashed Toyota Corolla – suffering from a gunshot wound. A nurse at the scene provided chest compressions until medics arrived, but Evans ultimately died at the scene.
The driver of the Corolla told police he and Evans were headed north on Interstate-35E near Seventh Street when a Hyundai driver entered the highway, pulled in front of him and "brake checked" him, charges state.
The driver told police he moved to a different lane to get away from the Hyundai, but the vehicles both ended up exiting at Maryland Avenue and stopping at a red light.
There, Bursey allegedly accused the Corolla driver of cutting him off and began to follow the Corolla west on Maryland Avenue and south on Dale Street.
The Corolla driver told investigators he made a U-turn on Dale Street and pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall to visit the tobacco store.
Bursey allegedly followed the man into the parking lot, threw something at the Corolla and left.
When the driver of the Corolla returned to his vehicle after visiting the store, they left the parking lot and discovered the Hyundai pulled over nearby.
The driver of the Corolla told police he pulled up next to the Hyundai and Evans got out of the vehicle to confront Bursey, punching him multiple times as Bursey sat in the Hyundai's driver's seat.
"The assault lasted 3-5 seconds before Bursey fired a gun 4-5 times," the complaint details. "[Evans] got back into the Corolla, and [the driver] drove towards the hospital."
According to the charges, the driver of the Corolla said Evans didn't have any weapons when he confronted Bursey and that "Bursey shot so fast after [Evans] started punching it seemed like Bursey had been planning something."
Bursey agreed to speak with investigators and said he was heading to St. Paul to work as a ride-share driver when the driver of the Corolla cut him off about five times.
Charges state Bursey told investigators he'd asked them not to cut him off but said "they laughed and pointed at him and said they do what they want."
Bursey claimed he then went on his way, and only drove past the tobacco store to get a license plate just in case. However, Bursey could not remember the license plate and did not take a photo of it or write it down.
According to the complaint, Bursey claimed he'd been parking and checking his phone to try to get a rider for Lyft when a man approached him from behind and began punching him as he sat in his car with the window partially rolled down.
"Bursey said he tried to punch back, but he couldn't. The man tried to grab Bursey's arm," the complaint details, adding Bursey said he racked a round into the chamber as a warning and claimed he shot to get Evans off of him.
After the shooting, Evans ran away and the car sped off. Police arrived to find Bursey standing outside his vehicle and holding a tissue to his bloody nose.
Speaking to investigators, Bursey said he panicked because he thought it looked like Evans might've had a gun and the other men in the car were "holding their pockets and kind of sketchy."
"When told he could not have possibly seen someone grabbing their pockets in the other car, Bursey agreed," the complaint states.
It continues: "When asked why he didn't drive away, Bursey said he just panicked."
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators show the Corolla had been parked in the lot for several minutes before Bursey drove in and re-engaged with the other two men, charges state.
Criminal charges also note that Bursey's father last year petitioned the court for the appointment of a guardian or conservator for Bursey, who'd been diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder, anxiety and depression. However, the petition was dismissed in July.
