George Bensouda, 33, son of Fatoumata Bensouda, the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court was fatally shot outside the St. Paul Saloon in the Dayton’s Bluff area on the night of January 29.
According to US based news website twincities.com, at the time of the killing, police took the unusual step of not publicly naming him.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office released Bensouda’s name only last week, after the Pioneer Press requested it. Bensouda’s family had initially asked that his identity not be made public, according to the county attorney’s office.
The family said in a statement Friday that they “remain deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic demise of their loved one.”
Days after Bensouda was killed, prosecutors filed a second-degree murder charge against Kareem Karel Mitchell, also known as Kareem Ase.
A spokesman for the county attorney’s office said that because the case is pending they could not comment on whether Bensouda and Mitchell knew each other or on other aspects of the case.
The criminal complaint does not give a motive for the killing.
Surveillance video showed that a man came up to Bensouda and a friend outside the bar and “it appears that words were exchanged,” according to the complaint. Bensouda stumbled toward the man, his friend moved him back and then the man started firing a gun.
Most people who police talked to at the saloon at 1045 Hudson Road reported there were no disputes inside that night, but one man said he saw Bensouda arguing with someone by the pool table, according to the complaint. Another man said Bensouda had bought drinks for people, apparently including Mitchell.
A family source confirmed the sad incident to The Standard, maintaining that it happened in January.
