Minnesota man allegedly killed co-worker after she rejected his advances

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A Minnesota man allegedly killed his co-worker after she rejected his advances, according to prosecutors.

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According to KMSP, Michael Carpenter, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly shot and killed one of his co-workers, Nicole Hammond, 28, in the parking lot of where they both worked in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The shooting happened on Oct. 24 just before 7 a.m.

St. Cloud Police Department in a news release said officers tried to provide lifesaving measures, but Hammond died at the scene. Carpenter fled the scene before their arrival. Carpenter was later located at a house in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, and was taken into custody. SCPD said a handgun was recovered from the house at the time of Carpenter’s arrest.

According to The Kansas City Star, an autopsy report said Hammond was shot once in the neck.

According to The Kansas City Star, Hammond had reportedly rejected Carpenter’s advances towards her on multiple occasions the month prior to the shooting. According to The Kansas City Star, police said that text messages from the night before the shooting revealed that Hammond had texted Carpenter that “she did not want to be touched or manipulated by him.”

Other co-workers reportedly told investigators that they were aware Carpenter had made several unwanted advances over the past month toward Hammond but their employer told KMSP that nothing was ever reported to management.

According to KMSP, Carpenter allegedly admitted to arguing with Hammond the night before the shooting, as well as being at the scene at the time of the shooting. He also allegedly said he fled the area afterward and did not call authorities.

Carpenter is facing up to 40 years in prison if he is found guilty, according to The Kansas City Star.

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