Charges: Man shot pregnant ex-fiancé hours after the two broke up

By REG CHAPMAN

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — A man has been charged Tuesday in connection to the death of his pregnant fiancé who he allegedly shot in a Lakeville parking lot just days before she was due to give birth.

Donte McCray, 32, was charged with murder in the second degree and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Police responded to a report of a shooting at the Amazon warehouse in Lakeville on Sunday where they found Kyla O’Neal, 31, with a single gunshot wound. She died at the hospital where her son, Messiah, was born.

Medical staff eventually got a pulse from Messiah but his condition is considered critical. Prosecutors say that if he doesn’t survive, McCray will face additional charges.

“She didn’t deserve what happened to her,” said O’Neal’s mother, Katina O’Neal. “She had a promising future.”

She said O’Neal ended her relationship with McCray hours before her death. If the baby does not survive, additional charges will be filed against McCray.

Officers on the scene say they spoke with McCray who told them he had been in an argument with O’Neal that day regarding his alleged infidelity. McCray went to his mother’s house with his belongings before O’Neal came to his mother’s house, picked him up, and took him to work in Lakeville.

“Last time I seen her, she was getting in her car. Last time I seen her I was trying to go with her and she said ‘no Mamma, I want to go alone’,” said Katina O’Neal. “I thought she was going to vent and deal with what she just went through by herself.”

Charging documents say McCray told police he realized he had guns in his bags once he was in Lakeville and, worried about making sure they were safe for his children, cleared the guns of any live rounds of ammunition. As O’Neal parked, McCray says he tried to clear a round in the chamber when the gun accidentally discharged, hitting O’Neal in the neck.

“I guess this time it’s just he couldn’t deal with the simple fact that she was leaving him,” Katina O’Neal said.

Police spoke with O’Neal’s family who had seen the two on the day of her death. O’Neal’s mother said she was called to the couple’s house when one of O’Neal’s children told her that McCray was getting “aggressive” with O’Neal.

O’Neal’s mother told police that McCray had threatened her daughter and family, saying, “You all ain’t bulletproof,” before leaving for his mother’s house. McCray allegedly told O’Neal that if she had another man around his kids, he would kill her.

Police say video surveillance from the parking lot showed McCray get out of O’Neal’s car and go to the back passenger side door. The car then pulled away from the building as McCray ran alongside the car. O’Neal reversed the car briefly before pulling into a parking spot, pushing McCray backward.

After reviewing the video, McCray allegedly told officers he was angry when the door hit him when O’Neal backed up the car and raised his gun and pulled the trigger on O’Neal.

Police say he claimed to not know there was still a round in the chamber when he pulled the trigger.

Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena says that McCray was on probation in Hennepin County for possession of a pistol in a public place without a permit. Under the terms of his sentencing, McCray was required to forfeit all firearms and prohibited from possessing firearms.

McCray is being held on a $2 million bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 19.

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