On the evening of September 2, 2019, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 36-year-old Thomas Tom Russell Harrigan, a male, was shot and killed in his own home on Ivy Avenue. A firefighter and paramedic for the city, Harrigan was also a decorated veteran who had served in the Iraq War and with the Minnesota National Guard, rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class.
His service, however, left him with post-traumatic stress that led to struggles with substance abuse.
The events that led to his death began with an argument. Harrigan had allowed a man named Dontay Lee Caraway, then 39, to stay at his home. However, after Caraway was accused of stealing from another person in the house, Harrigan asked him to leave and kept his phone. Angered by this, Dontay Caraway returned to the house with his 36-year-old brother, Blake Deshaun Caraway. An argument ensued, and Blake Caraway allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Harrigan once in the stomach. Harrigan was transported to Regions Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Following the shooting, the Caraway brothers fled the state. An investigation led to their arrests on September 13, 2019. Blake Caraway was taken into custody in Pompano Beach, Florida, and Dontay Caraway was arrested in Spencer, Oklahoma. Both brothers were charged with second-degree murder.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, a jury found Blake Caraway not guilty of murder. His brother, Dontay Lee Caraway, later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter. The plea agreement resulted in a sentence of time served, and he was released from custody.
