MINNEAPOLIS— A 23-year-old Brooklyn Park man pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter as part of a plea deal in a case involving his two-year-old son, who police believe shot and killed a man in September 2022.
Marlon White was charged in January with two counts of second-degree manslaughter. His trial was scheduled to begin Monday, but he entered a guilty plea. As part of the deal, he pleaded guilty to only one of the manslaughter counts, and the other will be dropped.
Court documents show the victim was shot at a Brooklyn Park home but died at the hospital. In a statement to police, White told investigators that he brought a gun to the home and put it under the victim’s couch because he didn’t want the victim’s brother to see it. He then left the home to pick up his two-year-old son, and the two returned to the victim’s home.
White told police he was talking to another friend on FaceTime when he heard the shot, the complaint said. He wasn’t sure who got the gun from under the couch.
The friend White used to FaceTime later told investigators he heard gunfire, and shortly afterward White told him his son had “just shot him,” according to the complaint.
The two manslaughter charges against White cited “culpable negligence” and “neglect or endangerment of a child” as grounds for the charges. He pleaded guilty to culpable negligence.
White’s sentencing is scheduled for December 3.
WCCO personnel
