Hopkins Police Catch Murder Convict With Gun

Hopkins police found a gun in a car driven by a man previously convicted of attempted aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, according to court documents filed Monday.

Officers became suspicious of 55-year-old Minneapolis resident Sing Keonakhone when they saw what appeared to be a crack pipe in his center console following a traffic stop Aug. 4 near Weaver Lake Road and Interstate 94 in Maple Grove.

When asked about the pipe, Keonakhone told officers that he uses it to smoke marijuana, Police Sgt. Michael Glassberg wrote in the charging documents. The officer then asked Keonakhone if he had any marijuana or other drugs in the vehicle, and Keonakhone said he had marijuana in a backpack on the front passenger seat.

The officer asked Keonakhone to step out of the car and went to the passenger side to check the backpack. When he opened the door, he saw the grip of a handgun on the floor behind the seat.

The gun turned out to be a Sig Sauer handgun with seven bullets in the magazine and a round in the chamber.  

Keonakhone admitted that the handgun was his, according to the court documents.

He has been charged with prohibited person in possession of a firearm—a felony that carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.

Keonakhone was convicted of attempted aggravated murder and aggravated robbery in Aug. 11, 1989, in Bulter County, Ohio.

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