MANKATO — An 18-year-old from Mankato was charged with second-degree murder Monday in connection to a fatal shooting early Saturday on Walnut Street.
Guenther Boone Jr. faces the felony murder charge in the death of Darious Dashon Johnson, 31, of Mankato.
The murder charge is defined as causing a death with intent but without premeditation. Boone is also charged with felony illegal possession of a firearm with no serial number and gross misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a permit charges. All the counts were filed in Blue Earth County District Court.
A criminal complaint against Boone suggests he initially planned to rob a man who was in a vehicle with Johnson before the shooting.
The man in the vehicle with Johnson told police he went with Johnson to meet up with Boone for a “cart deal” on the 500 block of East Walnut Street. A cart is a term for a marijuana cartridge for e-cigarettes, according to the complaint.
Boone reportedly planned to rob the man and take the carts to sell. He opened the door to the vehicle and claimed he saw Johnson move his hand, according to the complaint, and he didn’t know what Johnson was doing so he shot him in the back of the head.
The complaint states Boone told police he didn’t mean to take Johnson away from his children. Boone reportedly assumed Johnson had a gun because Johnson had sold him the gun used in the shooting.
The gun is a .40-caliber Glock, which Boone hid before telling police where it was. Investigators also located a handgun in the vehicle’s center console, with the other man in the vehicle saying it belonged to Johnson, the complaint states.
The man drove to his nearby residence with Johnson afterward and called 911 at about 3:15 a.m. Johnson was found deceased in the passenger seat, while the man Johnson was with during the shooting identified Boone and another individual being outside the vehicle at the time of the shooting.
The other individual told police he approached the vehicle with Boone, heard a loud bang, then followed a running Boone into Boone’s residence.
Boone appeared in court for a bail hearing Monday afternoon.