On the afternoon of July 16, 2026, Christian Dior Byrd, 36, was riding a bicycle on the 200 block of 27th Avenue North in Minneapolis when a confrontation with another man, later identified as 37-year-old Arnold Benedict Cole, turned deadly. Witnesses and security camera footage show a brief, tense interaction that escalated; Byrd suddenly fell after Cole allegedly lifted a black bag wrapped around his hand and shot him. Cole was seen patting Byrd and searching his clothing before fleeing on foot.

Police located and arrested Cole shortly after the shooting. Officers recovered a discarded drawstring bag on Washington Avenue containing a gun; the bag had a hole in a corner consistent with the muzzle having been pointed through it. Cole was charged in Hennepin County with second-degree intentional murder and first-degree aggravated robbery. Court records show he had prior violent convictions and was on probation at the time; bail was set at $1 million on the murder charge, with no bail on probation violations.

Does anyone have information about Byrd’s movements that afternoon or saw either man before the encounter?