Man shoots and kills co-worker who rejected his repeated advances, Minnesota cops say

A woman was found dead in a puddle of blood outside her workplace after Minnesota authorities say she was shot by a co-worker.

The co-worker, 36-year-old Michael Carpenter, faces a murder charge in the death of Nicole Hammond, 28, according to the St. Cloud Police Department. An autopsy revealed that she was shot once in the neck.

Hammond had “repeatedly” rejected Carpenter’s advances over the previous month, a probable cause statement shows. Text messages revealed Hammond texted Carpenter the night before the Oct. 24 shooting, telling him she did not want to be touched or manipulated by him, police said.

The shooting took place around 7 a.m. Monday outside the business in St. Cloud, which is about 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Hammond was pronounced dead at the scene, with a single shell casing near her, police said in the probable cause statement.

One witness said they heard the gunshot, then saw Carpenter jog to his vehicle before driving away, police said. Carpenter was also seen by a second witness as he was putting on a black jacket while wearing black pants, according to court records.

Police later found Carpenter wearing the same outfit. A 9mm pistol and a loaded magazine were found in his vehicle as officers executed a search warrant, police said.

In a statement in which police said he gave contradictory information, Carpenter said he walked toward Hammond’s car when he heard the gunshot, but ran away when he “was too traumatized” after seeing her body, the probable cause statement says.

“He didn’t render aid, go to work, nor did he call 9-1-1,” police said.

Co-workers said Carpenter has “a bad temper,” and he told officers he was “upset” about his text message conversation with Hammond the night before the shooting, according to court records.

Carpenter faces up to 40 years in prison if found guilty of the second-degree murder charge. He remains in the Benton County Jail on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Hammond was described by one co-worker as “beautiful, smart (and) determined.”

Rob Dubow, Hammond’s boss, said the business “had no idea” about Carpenter’s unwanted advances, FOX 9 reported.

“Women should be able to go to work without being hit on by their co-workers,” said one woman in a Facebook post, sharing a statement from Violence Free Minnesota. “Women should be able to say they aren’t interested in someone without worrying about being murdered.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Man shoots and kills co-worker who rejected his repeated advances, Minnesota cops say."