Muridi Hassan Hussein, 27, was shot and killed on the morning of November 9, 2025. Neighbors reported shots on the 400 block of Holly Lane at about 9:25 a.m.; investigators believe Hussein, wounded but still conscious, drove away from that scene and was later found unresponsive in his car in a parking lot off Star Street near the 1600 block of Madison Avenue, where he was pronounced dead. Officers located a gunshot wound to his neck and reconstructed a short, frantic route between the two locations.

State and local agencies, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force, joined the Mankato Department of Public Safety on the investigation. Police arrested 23-year-old A’Quan Kaishaid Laurence Thornton of Mankato the same day; a firearm believed to be the weapon was recovered. Prosecutors charged Thornton in Blue Earth County District Court with second-degree murder with intent but without premeditation. Charging documents describe a confrontation that began with a video call in which Thornton allegedly brandished a gun and threats over an unpaid debt related to THC cartridges, followed by gunfire as Hussein tried to drive away.

The killing has prompted public memorials and appeals for witnesses. Anyone with surveillance footage or information from Holly Lane, Star Street, or Madison Avenue the morning of November 9 is asked to come forward.