Minneapolis man charged in Boom Island mass shooting, murder

A north Minneapolis man has been charged with six felonies related to the June 1 mass shooting at Boom Island Park in Northeast Minneapolis that left a young mother dead and five others injured in a barrage of gunfire police say was gang related.

Zyere Jakay Porter, 23, has been charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder, and drive-by shooting that left 23-year-old Stageina Whiting dead. Five others were shot, leaving one in critical condition and fully paralyzed.

Charges say police arrived at the park about 9:30 p.m. that Sunday and found an injured party, later identified as Whiting, who died at the hospital from her injuries.

Police eventually collected at least 130 discharged casings, which ballistics testing revealed came from at least nine firearms. Home surveillance audio obtained by Crime Watch and posted online captured the barrage of gunfire.

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The criminal complaint confirms that police found at least 130 spent shell casings from at least 9 guns following the Boom Island mass shooting.
Gunfire audio captured by nearby home surveillance, ICYMI 👇https://t.co/Kkb9dKcycv

— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) June 30, 2025

Officers learned that there had been a large birthday party before the shooting broke out, and that the birthday party had been kicked out of French Park in Plymouth prior to coming to Boom Island Park.

The complaint describes that one male who arrived in a black Dodge Challenger was chased down and shot after he got out of the vehicle. The other four parties injured by gunfire were in the crowd.

Surveillance footage showed that after the male from the Challenger was shot, the Challenger left but turned around and returned to the park. A passenger was seen sitting on the edge of the window, who witnesses told police was shooting into the crowd multiple times. It was at that point that Whiting was shot as a passenger in a vehicle that was trying to leave the park after the initial shots.

Among the approximately 130 shell casings at the scene in total, there was a clear grouping of .40 caliber casings that were separate from the rest and consistent with having come from the Challenger, and consistent with having come from the volley of shots that killed Whiting and could be heard on the surveillance footage, the complaint said.

Police located the Challenger at an address associated with Porter in Spring Lake Park two days later, where there was also evidence that the black wrap had been removed from the vehicle, leaving the car green underneath. Officers located a live .40 caliber round in the vehicle, as well as a .40 caliber casing. Ballistics testing confirmed that the casing matched the .40 caliber casings near where Whiting was shot, and a bullet recovered from Whiting was consistent with .40 caliber.

Witnesses told police that Porter returned to the Spring Lake Park address in the Challenger shortly after the shooting. Police also learned that Porter had been seen driving the Challenger on other occasions. Additionally, Porter’s fingerprints were recovered from the exterior of the vehicle, under where the wrap had been. On June 26, officers located Porter at the Spring Lake Park address and placed him under arrest.

Additional information obtained through police interviews indicated that the shooting was gang related and that Porter, the first male who was shot, and another male were asked to come to Boom Island to assist fellow Low End gang members in attacking a known “opp” (a term commonly used for opposing gang members).

Porter has a May 2024 gross misdemeanor conviction for possessing a handgun without a permit. Charges in that case say that while Hennepin County deputies were arresting Porter on an unrelated felony warrant, he was found in possession of a Glock with an extended magazine. Porter’s 180-day workhouse sentence was stayed in that case by Judge Francis Magill, and Porter was placed on probation to the court until May 2026.

Porter made his first court appearance on Friday and was granted a public defender. He remains in custody on $3 million bail, and his next court hearing is scheduled for July 27.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.

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