Teen to stand trial as an adult in Halloween shooting that killed 2 cousins

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge ruled that a teen accused of fatally shooting a teenager on Halloween night in Brooklyn Park will stand trial as an adult. Another teen was allegedly shot and killed by his accomplice during the incident.

Courtney Lesean Parker, 17, of Minneapolis, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder for a shooting that killed two 16-year-old boys on Halloween night of 2023. 

Diriye Abdi Muhumed died at the scene of the shooting, while the other victim, Chardid Hachi Farah, died at the hospital days later. The criminal complaint states the two victims were cousins.

Court documents show Parker was ordered to stand trial as an adult on May 6 for shooting and killing Muhumed.

Brooklyn Park police say officers responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Zane Avenue and Zane Court just after 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2023. They then found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds.

A witness told officers that three people ran from the scene following the shooting, according to the complaint.

Investigators say the shooting stemmed from a dispute over a missing gun, an assessment based on text messages recovered from Muhumed’s phone after the shooting.

The criminal complaint states those messages reveal "threats made by both parties" with the last message being sent about four hours before the murders.

Parker’s alleged accomplice lived less than a block away from where the fatal shooting took place. The complaint states that evidence shows the victims traveled to the accomplice’s home to meet him and Parker and both the accomplice and Parker had guns.

Investigators say they established that Parker struck Muhumed in the head with a gun, a struggle followed, and Parker allegedly fired a fatal shot into Muhumed’s chest.

The complaint alleges that the accomplice then fatally shot Farah and then went to the accomplice's home.

Parker’s next court hearing is set for the morning of June 5. Parker is also facing charges as an adult for aggravated robbery in Anoka County.