MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — A 69-year-old Minneapolis man who thought he was saving another man’s life when he let him into his home was instead shot in the head and killed, according to the victim’s family and police reports.
On Friday just before noon, a stranger came to the Thomas Sonnenbergs’ home on 37th and Aldrich in north Minneapolis. The man was screaming someone was trying to kill him. Sonnenberg opened the door, and then locked it behind them with a key.
“My father called 911. That man shot my father. My mother was trapped inside with my father who had passed away and the man that killed him,” Rachel Baufiel, Sonnenbergs’ daughter, said.
Police tell us they found 20-year-old Devon Derrick Parker in the Sonnenberg’s home. He is now in jail and is expected to be charged Monday.
“We know my dad thought he was saving somebody. He thought that this man’s life was in danger. That’s why he let them him,” Rachel Baufield said.
The daughters tell us their 68-year-old mother, Elaine, was also attacked.
Police officers responded to the 911 call, but the suspect gave them a different address. When officers arrived, the doors were locked and they saw Elaine through the window.
“She mouthed to the police officer, ‘He shot my husband.’ The police officer got what she was mouthing,” Baldwin said.
They say that’s when the suspect allowed their mom to unlock the door, and police took him into custody.
Their father was an army veteran who made a career out of fixing guns for naval ships. He was known for being an avid gardener. a good neighbor and always willing to help someone in need.
“My dad was our rock. He was my dad. No one can replace my dad,” Baldwin said. “There is never going to be the same normal again.”
His daughters say they don’t know what the motive was and say their parents didn’t know Parker.
Police haven’t speculated. We may learn more Monday, when Parker makes his first appearance in court.
Parker has two felonies on his criminal record including assault.
(credit: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
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