A Liberian artist based in St. Paul, Mnnesota, Wesley Benedict Koboi, also known in music circles as Wes and a former law enforcement officer in America, has been arrested in Toronto in connection with the fatal shooting of his partner and the mother of his five children, 29-year-old Shaniya Thompson.
Koboi is accused of killing Thompson during a domestic dispute on the evening of December 11 inside her apartment on the 600 block of Broadway Street in St. Paul. Minnesota authorities have charged him with second-degree murder as the case continues to unfold.
Court documents indicate that the incident occurred in the presence of the couple’s children. During the ordeal, one of the children reportedly called a family member, stating that their father had shot their mother. Responding officers later discovered Thompson dead at the scene. The killing is reported to have taken place on one of the children’s birthdays, deepening the tragedy surrounding the case.
Investigators say that after the shooting, Koboi drove the couple’s five children to his mother’s home, stayed briefly, and then left them in her care. He allegedly departed shortly afterward in his brother’s vehicle without disclosing his destination and subsequently stopped responding to calls from family members.
Authorities later determined that Koboi fled the United States, crossed into Canada on foot, and booked a flight to Mexico in an apparent attempt to evade arrest. He was intercepted and arrested Tuesday morning at Toronto’s airport before boarding the flight.
The arrest followed a coordinated international manhunt involving multiple agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Toronto Police Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Koboi is expected to be extradited to Minnesota to face second-degree murder charges. Law enforcement officials say the investigation remains ongoing as they continue to gather evidence and interview witnesses.
The case has drawn significant public attention due to its domestic violence implications, the involvement of young children, and the extensive cross-border cooperation that ultimately led to Koboi’s arrest.
