MINNEAPOLIS — The 42-year-old man who shot and killed three people at a Minneapolis encampment in October 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to more than 86 years in prison.
Earl Bennett was found guilty of three second-degree murder charges after a jury determined that he shot and killed three people after firing several rounds inside an encampment on the 4400 block of Snelling Avenue on Sunday, Oct. 27. Two of the victims died that day after being transported to a nearby hospital, and the third person died six days later, according to the criminal complaint. The victims were identified as Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons, Jr. and Samantha Jo Moss.
Officials said Bennett fled the scene before officers were called to the 400 block of Pierce Street in St. Paul just before 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 28 on reports of shots being fired in the area. When police arrived, they found Bennett walking around the area with a gun. At one point, when police approached him, he put the gun to his own head, according to St. Paul Police…