Larry Jiles Jr., a 34-year-old Black/African American male, was shot and killed on Saturday, February 25, 2023, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The shooting took place around 5:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the Kings Crossing senior living residence on North Dale Street, near University Avenue. Jiles, a beloved local chef known as 'Chef Hot Hands,' was catering a celebration of life for a relative held in the building's community room.
The peaceful gathering turned violent after the service as
people were leaving. According to criminal complaints and witness statements, a man named Troy Kennedy, 37, was seen in the parking lot with a gun, seemingly angry with someone. Hearing the commotion, Jiles came out of the building, also with a gun. Onlookers, many of whom were family, urged Jiles to put his weapon away. At that point, another man, John Lee Edmondson, 52, drove up to the scene.
Witnesses reported that Edmondson got out of his vehicle, walked over to Jiles, put his arm around him, and then shot him three times in the head and neck at close range. After shooting Jiles, Edmondson fired multiple additional shots 'from his hip at everyone in the parking lot,' reportedly shouting, 'Who else want it?'. The gunfire also struck and killed Troy Kennedy and wounded three other people, including Jiles' sister. Jiles was pronounced dead at the scene. An anonymous tip to police suggested the shooting may have been related to someone 'working with the police and snitching'.
John Lee Edmondson, a St. Louis Park resident with a previous murder conviction from 1993, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. The charges against him were later upgraded to first-degree murder. In April 2025, a jury found Edmondson, then 54, guilty of second-degree murder for killing Larry Jiles Jr. and guilty of illegal possession of a firearm. He was, however, acquitted of first-degree murder in Jiles' death and of all charges related to the death of Troy Kennedy, who was his cousin. In July 2025, Edmondson was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
