Man Fatally Shoots Female Coworker After She Rejected His Advances

A Minnesota woman was fatally shot by her male co-worker outside of their workplace after she repeatedly rejected his romantic advances.

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Around 7 a.m. on Monday, a gunshot occurred outside a textile shop in St. Cloud. Investigators said 28-year-old Nicole Hammond was discovered in a parking lot near her car in a pool of blood around her head. Two witnesses observed the alleged gunman, 36-year-old Michael J. Carpenter, get out of his car before the shooting and then heard a gunshot as reported by The Star Tribune. Carpenter reportedly rushed back to his vehicle after Hammond was shot in the neck.

According to a criminal complaint, Carpenter texted Hammond multiple times the previous evening to let him know that she “did not want to be touched by him.” She also warned him against making things awkward at work because he had made several romantic advances to her.

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According to the witnesses, Carpenter also had a terrible temper. He was apprehended at a Sauk Rapids apartment hours after the incident, and police discovered a 9-mm pistol and a loaded magazine in the backseat of his car. The cartridge casings collected at the scene allowed them to determine the type and brand of bullets used in the tragic incident.

During questioning, Carpenter claimed he walked towards Hammond’s car but heard a gunshot and saw a lot of blood. He walked from the scene shortly after. Before the shooting, Carpenter had only one previous conviction for a 2013 misdemeanor for an expired registration.

Hammond’s boss Rob Dubow told Fox News that the company was unaware of Carpenter’s behavior and would’ve intervened, but there was no indication that anything was happening.

“Unfortunately, we had no idea,” said Hammond’s boss Rob Dubow. “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. Nicole always had a smile on her face, and anybody who had any association with her couldn’t help but like her.”