On the evening of August 14, 2023, 20-year-old Marcus Anthony Baker Jr. was fatally shot on Raspberry Island in St. Paul after an altercation while a large group was gathered there. Baker was in the back seat of a Chevrolet Suburban playing music affiliated with East Side gangs when a man later identified as Romello Markell Ifonlaja-Randle approached and asked him to turn the music off. When Baker refused, the man allegedly struck him in the face and then shot him as Baker tried to get out of the vehicle.

Officers arriving at the chaotic scene found Baker with three gunshot wounds; he was taken to Regions Hospital, where he died. Police said the dispute was likely gang-related amid tensions between East Side and West Side groups. Investigators reported recovering a ghost gun at the scene with both Baker’s and Ifonlaja-Randle’s DNA on it, and used surveillance footage, DNA, and phone records to link Ifonlaja-Randle to the shooting. Two arrests were made on August 30, 2023, and charges were filed against Ifonlaja-Randle including second-degree murder and illegal firearm possession.

Anyone who knew Marcus Baker Jr. or who has information about the events on Raspberry Island that night is asked to come forward.