MINNESOTA HORROR: Beloved hockey coach murdered on doorstep

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The Twin Cities is struggling to come to grips with the cold-blooded murder of a beloved high school hockey coach who was shot to death on the steps of his own home.

Cops say that Michael Brasel, 44, a father of two, walked out his door at about 7:20 a.m. on May 6 to see a teenager rummaging through the family car.

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Kle Twee, 17, has been charged with second-degree murder but prosecutors in Ramsey County, Minnesota want the boy charged as an adult. Twee’s criminal history shows “he does not hesitate” to invade the personal space of his victims, prosecutors said.

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Brasel’s son reportedly told detectives, he heard his dad say on that terrible morning: “What are you doing?”

Then, gunshots echoed around the quiet suburban street. Basal had been shot in the back and chest. Neighbours and his wife gathered around to provide comfort and first aid but it was too late.

He died later at the Hennepin County General Hospital.

“He loved the time he spent with the kids making sure they all had their skates tied, their helmets were secured, and they knew that their individual efforts were what would make the team successful,” his wife said in a statement.

“His teams never left a locker room after a game without a goal to work on, or a moment of growth acknowledged. His words were always full of humour and fatherly wisdom.”

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Witnesses told cops they saw a black car with tinted windows and a loud exhaust flee the crime scene. About 2 km away, the car hit a curb knocking the front bumper off.

Using the bumper and the license plate, detectives traced the car to earlier traffic stops, CBS News reported. Twee had been driving the car on both occassions.

A search warrant was obtained for the suspected killer’s mobile phone and forensic investigators lifted its location data. The data placed the teen on Brasel’s street at the time of the shooting.

As cops closed in, the teen attempted to make a run for it.

Earlier, Twee pleaded guilty to trying to rob a student at Harding High School at gunpoint in April 2022. He jammed the gun against the student’s head and demanded the terrified teen’s cellphone.

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The crime was recorded and posted on Snapchat. His probation expired in January.

One former St. Paul police chief lamented the lack of consequences teens face for often violent crime.

“It’s not a ‘lock ’em up and throw away the key’ mentality, but we need consequences. Enough is enough,” Todd Axtell told CBS News.

“No more one of two or three options if a person is involved in a felony-level crime of violence with a gun. We need to act immediately. Take that young person off the street, put them into a secure environment, make sure they get the resources they need.”

He added: “The level of firearms used by young people continues to grow. It’s a major concern.”

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