The indictments detail a Minnesota man’s horrific and deadly crime

WILLMAR, MN (KROC-AM News) – Bail was set at $3.5 million today for the Minneapolis man accused in a deadly crime Tuesday.

25-year-old Ameer Musa Materiyeh of Minneapolis was formally arraigned this morning in Kandiyohi District Court in Willmar on a criminal complaint charging him with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and fleeing police.

The criminal complaint describes a horrific day for police officers and the victims of a crime spree that began with a domestic disturbance in Minneapolis on Tuesday afternoon. The court document states that Minneapolis police were called to an apartment complex where Matariyeh allegedly fired several shots from the top floor of the building.

The charges state that Matariyeh managed to evade law enforcement and flee the Twin Cities in a vehicle that was reported stolen in Carver County. Less than an hour later, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a vehicle stolen at gunpoint was heading toward Willmar. The message also contained information that the occupant of the stolen vehicle had fired shots.

According to the court document, several police officers were in the process of intercepting the vehicle when a 911 call came in from a home near Lake Lillian where the homeowner had been shot in the chest. The criminal complaint alleges that Matariyeh and the man were involved in an argument outside the home when Matariyeh shot the victim and then fired several bullets into the home after the man fled inside.

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office previously said 25-year-old Peter Mayerchak was hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to survive. The court document indicates he is a corrections officer with the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office.

The criminal complaint says Mayariyeh sped from the property toward Willmar after the shooting. Law enforcement officers pursuing him said he reached speeds of about 130 miles per hour before the vehicle’s ONSTAR system was deployed just south of Willmar just before 2:30 p.m.

The charges allege that Matariyeh was then able to use the damaged vehicle to crash into the back of a smaller pickup truck as police officers approached him. The court document says officers observed Matariyeh exit the stolen vehicle, approach the pickup and shoot the driver in what appeared to be an attempted carjacking.

The driver of the pickup, 55-year-old Jerome Skluzacek of New London, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

According to the criminal complaint, Mataeriyeh then attempted to flee on foot but was arrested a short time later. The court document says he referred to “suicide as a cop” and made comments about wanting to die and that he would kill himself because a girl cheated on him.

His next court date is scheduled for the end of November.