A woman in St. Cloud, Minnesota was killed as she stepped out of her car at work last week — allegedly shot by her coworker.
Nicole Hammond, 28, was shot and killed on the morning of October 24. Hours after her death, police in the Minnesota town arrested 36-year-old Michael Carpenter, a coworker of hers, and charged him with second-degree murder. Cops say Carpenter shot Hammond in the parking lot of their place of employment after she rejected his advances.
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According to a probable cause statement, first obtained by the Kansas City Star, Hammond had texted Carpenter the night before she was killed. In her texts, per a police report documented in the statement, she requested that “she did not want to be touched or manipulated by him.” Furthermore, cops say she asked Carpenter to “not make things uncomfortable at work” by continuing to make advances towards her.
Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul confirms that report and cites prosecutors who point to cell phone records that claim Carpenter was harassing Hammond for some time. Other employees reportedly told authorities Carpenter made “several unwanted advances” on Hammond over the past few weeks. However, it does not appear anything was done about it — and nobody seems to have told management what was going on, either.
Hammond’s boss, Rob Dubow, spoke to the Minnesota TV news outlet late last week, saying:
“Unfortunately, we had no idea. Any time there is anything that requires our intervention we step in. But in this case we had no indication that there was anything awry.”
News reports have not identified the company where the two worked, other than to note its location on a prominent thoroughfare in northeast St. Cloud.
Dubow went on to praise Hammond for her “incredible attitude” and presence at the job:
“Nicole always had a smile on her face, and anybody who had any association with her couldn’t help but like her.”
The murder occurred just before 7:00 a.m. local time on October 24. Cops responded to reports of a shooting and found Hammond lying on the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Carpenter was arrested at his residence nearby about three hours after the crime was reported. Police recovered a handgun at his residence during the arrest, so it sounds pretty open-and-shut.
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According to KNSI Radio, last Thursday, a judge set Carpenter’s bail at $4 million. He is being held in Benton County Jail ahead of his next court date, which is scheduled for November 8.
Here is more on this awful case:
Such an awful situation. We send our condolences to Hammond’s family, friend, and loved ones during this terrible time.
R.I.P.
[Image via Benton County Jail/Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul/YouTube]
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