MINNEAPOLIS, MN – An early Sunday morning shooting in north Minneapolis has left a woman dead and her ex-boyfriend behind bars just minutes after she publicly shared her fears about him on social media.
Mariah Rosanna Samuels, 34, was killed outside a residence on the 1400 block of Russell Avenue North, according to law enforcement officials. Minneapolis police responded around 7:53 a.m. after receiving reports of multiple gunshots. When officers arrived, they discovered Samuels lying on the ground near the open driver’s side door of a Jeep Compass, suffering from numerous gunshot wounds to her torso and chest.
Paramedics pronounced Samuels dead at the scene. Investigators say she had posted a message on Facebook less than ten minutes before her death, alleging that her former boyfriend, David Eugene Wright, had been stalking her and criticizing the lack of police intervention despite her obtaining a protective order.
According to court records, Wright, 50, has been charged with second-degree murder with intent, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The affidavit filed in the case reveals a history of threats and violence allegedly directed at Samuels after she ended their relationship on August 21.
Documents indicate that Samuels sought and received a protective order against Wright in August, recounting a violent confrontation that happened the same day she tried to sever ties. She described Wright threatening to shoot her, arriving with a firearm at a family home where she was dropping off her child, physically assaulting her, and making threats about damaging her vehicle. In her request for protection, Samuels said she was in fear for her life.
Surveillance video from the shooting reportedly showed a suspect matching Wright’s appearance. Witnesses told authorities they heard the sound of several gunshots, followed by screams and more shots. One witness, observing from an upstairs window, saw someone removing items from the Jeep and then leaving the scene on a bicycle while concealing a firearm.
Another person in the neighborhood described seeing a man with shoulder-length dreadlocks and a long-sleeve shirt shooting the victim repeatedly at close range as she sat in her vehicle.
Investigators linked Wright to the shooting not only through witness accounts and video, but also through Samuels’s final Facebook post. She wrote about being stalked and expressed frustration at what she saw as an inadequate response by authorities, hours after Wright was served the protective order she had requested.
When questioned by police, Wright did not attempt to contest his involvement, according to the arrest affidavit. He was quoted as saying the case would not be “hard-fought,” further implicating himself in Samuels’ death.
Wright is currently being held without bond in the Hennepin County Jail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors said the investigation remains active as they review additional evidence in the case.