WILLMAR

— The suspect

charged with murder in the shooting death of a New London man,

allegedly after fleeing a domestic violence incident in Minneapolis, he will also face criminal charges there.

Charges were filed Oct. 24 in Hennepin County against Ameer Musa Matariyeh, 26, of Minneapolis, the same day he was charged in Kandiyohi County. A warrant was issued in the Hennepin County case, and Matariyeh has yet to appear there. No court date has been set.

Matariyeh was arrested Oct. 22 on Highway 71/23 just outside Willmar after being pursued by multiple law enforcement agencies in western Minnesota. Officials said Matariyeh fled the scene of a Minneapolis apartment where a domestic incident was reported earlier in the day.

Contributed / Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office

According to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court, Matariyeh allegedly held his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint in her Minneapolis apartment before he began shooting her and two other adult men as they fled.

Three felony charges of second-degree assault were filed in Hennepin County and one felony charge of domestic assault.

According to the criminal complaint there, officers responded to a report that a man had fired a gun from the balcony of an apartment building in the 2900 block of Lyndale Avenue South around noon on Oct. 22.

Upon arrival, officers learned that the suspect, Matariyeh, had allegedly shot three people, including his ex-girlfriend. She told police that she and Matariyeh had a 2-year-old child together and that she and the child lived in the apartment, but that Matariyeh lived elsewhere.

In a statement last week, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’hara said the child was at a daycare at the time of the incident and was taken to safety by other family members.

The woman told officers that she and her current boyfriend were at the apartment when Matariyeh arrived. According to the complaint, he was extremely angry, started arguing and at one point pushed her to the ground. He then pulled out a gun and pressed the gun to the back of her head.

Matariyeh also pointed the gun at her boyfriend several times as they continued to argue.

Eventually, she and her boyfriend managed to flee the apartment.

Matariyeh watched them waving the gun as they exited the building. At one point, he allegedly hit the man twice in the head with the gun, according to the complaint.

At that time, another adult male arrived in a car to help the two victims. Matariyeh allegedly pointed the gun at the man and ran to his vehicle and began hitting the windshield with the gun.

As the three of them fled, Matariyeh went back into the building.

A short time later, the woman told police she heard several gunshots. She also said Matariyeh appeared to be under the influence of drugs as she noticed a white powder under his nose while they were arguing.

According to the complaint, police eventually contacted Matariyeh by phone and learned he fled the scene and began traveling west in a motor vehicle.

During conversations with negotiators, Matariyeh allegedly asked to speak to his ex-girlfriend and at one point told negotiators that he would kill bystanders if he could not speak to her.

Matariyeh is charged in Kandiyohi District Court with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and fleeing police in a motor vehicle.

Jerome “Jerry” Skulzacek, 55, of New London, was previously identified as the driver who was fatally shot on the highway outside Willmar. Matariyeh allegedly attempted to steal the man’s vehicle to continue fleeing from authorities.

Matariyeh is accused of shooting Peter Mayerchak, 25, at his home in rural Lake Lillian less than an hour earlier. The Kandiyohi Sheriff’s Office previously said Mayerchak was in stable condition and expected to survive his injury.

Matariyeh’s next court appearance in Kandiyohi County is currently scheduled for November 25. He remained in custody Friday at the Kandiyohi County Jail, where he is being held on $3.5 million bail.