Murder charge: Suspect shot victim because the sweatshirt seemed suspicious on a “nice day”

The man accused of killing a man in Minneapolis earlier this week told investigators he shot the victim because he was wearing a hoodie on a “nice day,” charging documents say.

According to court records, 38-year-old William Howard Sanders IV – also known as Jason Jerrell Herron IV – is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 24-year-old De'Jaun Marquise Michael Hall.

Surveillance footage of the shooting shows Sanders getting into an argument with Hall near the intersection of 19th Street East and First Avenue South around 7 p.m. Tuesday. A criminal complaint says Sanders took an object from a fanny pack, chased Hall around a parked car and shot him in the back.

The video purports to show Sanders shooting Hall twice in the head after he fell to the ground and raised his hands in the air. Sanders walked away and was gone by the time police arrived.

Police arrested Sanders at a hotel on Thursday and found a fanny pack like the one captured on video and a loaded 9mm handgun in his car, the complaint said.

Sanders admitted to police that he shot Hall, saying he had smoked PCP beforehand and had a hazy memory of the crime, the charges say. He later claimed he acted in self-defense because Hall had threatened him and his family, and said he was “suspicious” of Hall because he was wearing a hoodie on a “nice day.”

Sanders remains in custody at the Hennepin County Jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon.