On a summer evening in Minneapolis, a dispute between two women escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 27-year-old Brandon Jerome Salter, a Black male from St. Paul. The events of June 4, 2020, unfolded when the girlfriend of Ryan V. Frazier Jr. arrived at the home of Salter's sister, demanding a physical altercation. Fearing for her safety, Salter's sister called both 911 and her brother, Brandon, asking him to come over.
When Salter arrived to protect his sister, he was met
by Frazier, who was armed with a handgun. Witnesses reported that Frazier threatened to shoot Salter, who defiantly told him to "shoot me" if that was his intention. As Salter's sister ran back into her house, she heard multiple gunshots. Officers who responded to the scene found Salter lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Ryan V. Frazier Jr., then 23, was identified as the suspect and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was apprehended in Chicago a short time later and charged with second-degree murder. The investigation revealed that the altercation stemmed from a dispute involving Frazier's current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend, who was Salter's sister.
During his trial in December 2021, Frazier opted to plead guilty to intentional second-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to a 20-year prison term for the fatal shooting of Brandon Salter. The resolution of the legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to a case that began with a heated argument and tragically ended in the loss of a young man's life.
